


Family, Meet My Mutant Friends

by SeaSpectre160



Category: X-Men Evolution
Genre: Bigotry & Prejudice, Bullies, Crime, Exes, F/M, Family, Football | Soccer, Home Movies, Homelessness, Mild Language, Missing Scene, Mutant Hate, Mutants, Origin Stories, Origin Story, Past Abuse, Past Attempted Rape/Non-Con, Past Relationship(s), Religious Intolerance, Royalty, Shopping Malls, new mutants - Freeform, parental abandonment, past bullying, past rejection, witch-burning
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2009-09-18
Updated: 2011-01-01
Packaged: 2018-02-13 14:46:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 13
Words: 34,346
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2154519
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SeaSpectre160/pseuds/SeaSpectre160
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The New Mutants go off in pairs to catch up with their families. Each student reflects on how they came to be an X-Men recruit.</p><p>
  <img/>
</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, this is my first XME fanfic! Set in the March Break after Apocalypse's defeat. Rahne and Jubilee are now back with the X-Men.
> 
> Plz be nice!
> 
> DISCLAIMER: I do not own X-Men Evolution or any of its characters. I do not own any X-Men characters that didn't appear in Evo, those all belong to Marvel.
> 
> Pairings: Bobby/Jubilee, Roberto/Rahne, and Sam/Amara
> 
> Note: I read somewhere that X-23 and Talon are the same person, Laura Kinney. Just so no one gets confused.

_Sunday, March 10 th, 2002_

_LOCATION: XAVIER INSTITUE FOR GIFTED YOUNGSTERS, BAYVILLE, NEW YORK_

"Children, if you could please come to my office in five minutes?"

All the New Mutants, minus Laura, received this broadcast in their head at six in the morning. One by one, they all trudged out of their rooms to Professor Xavier's office.

"So, what's with the early wake-up call, Prof?" Bobby asked blearily, "I thought you said we weren't doing the pre-sunrise training sessions on the weekends."

"Yes, I did," Xavier confirmed, "This is an entirely different matter. As of late, I've been receiving phone calls from several of your families. They're rather worried about you, so I've arranged for you all to spend the week back home."

Some of the recruits perked up when their sleep-deprived brains finally processed that bit of information. Bobby, Rahne, and Ray were among the exceptions.

"Of course, with all the animosity against mutants, you'll have to travel in groups. That means you won't have a full week with your families, but you will have a few days each. This should allow you to get to know your fellow teammates' loved ones as well."

"Um, sir?" Jamie raised his hand. "What about Laura and all the older kids?"

"Scott and Jean have already made plans to visit Jean's parents in Philadelphia, and the others are also arranging similar trips. Laura, of course, is remaining here. However, unlike you, they have much more combat experience and needn't worry so much about being attacked. The rest of you, on the other hand, do not. Your flights have already been arranged, and you'll be leaving later today. Bobby and Jubilee, you'll be heading for Long Island; Roberto and Rahne are going to Muir Island; Sam and Amara, your flight to Kentucky leaves in eight hours; Ray and Tabitha, you'll be going to Virginia; and Alex and Jamie will be going to Hawaii."

An outbreak of chatter erupted amongst the students. Except, of course, Bobby, Rahne, Ray, and Roberto, but that last one really was excited – he just didn't like being awake before sunup.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is going to have eleven chapters in it (13 when you include this prologue and the epilogue). Ray gets 2 because a) he's my fave, and b) his background is never hinted, except for involvement with the Morlocks. The rest of the New Mutants' stories are all based on their comic incarnations, and since Ray's doesn't spill anything, it means I have a lot more room for creativity.


	2. Chapter 1: The Story of Bobby 'Iceman' Drake

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, Bobby's up first!
> 
> So, for anyone who read this chapter when it was incomplete, you'll notice that the flashbacks are a little different. I don't read the comics, so anything I know about them, I get from internet research. According to my old information, Bobby didn't really know he had powers before the incident with Rocky, but apparently he did. So I had to change that.
> 
> DISCLAIMER: I do not own X-Men Evolution, or any other incarnation of the X-Men series. They all belong to Marvel.

_Sunday, March 10 th, 2002_

_LOCATION: FLORAL PARK, LONG ISLAND, NEW YORK_

Normally the crunching of snow under his boots was comforting to Bobby. Normally he liked the sensation of the cold wind whispering across his face. Normally the last few days of winter were his 'live every moment like it was your last' days.

Normally, he wouldn't be trudging with his head down, through the slush, to his parents' house.

Each time he went there, every vacation, the atmosphere just got worse and worse. At first, his mother and father were compassionate with him. He confided in them about his worries about how he was having difficulty controlling his powers. Then, as he became more experienced, and more casual about the fact that he could freeze anything whenever the situation called for it – or when he just felt like icing something over for the sake of icing something over – they became nervous. They avoided discussions about his activities at the Institute, and focused more on his grades at Bayville High. Then the secret of the mutants was revealed to the world last year, and everything went south from there.

The first time he came home after that, he found the house covered in graffiti, spray-painted phrases scrawled on the windows, saying things like "Origin of Freaks" or "Mutie". The second he'd walked in the door, his father had rounded on him, saying he'd ruined everything. That it was all his fault.

It wasn't. He couldn't help the fact that his genes were a little different than most people.

He'd tried to get his mother's sympathies, but she just joined in with her husband, yelling and cursing at him. He'd turned right around and left, and soon he found himself in the middle of the city, surrounded by people who hated him. It was by pure chance that he'd caught sight of another house that'd been ravaged just like his, and even luckier that Evan just happened to be out front. Since then, he spent every holiday at the Daniels' house. It was _way_ more fun than going back to the place he once called home. He’d argued with the Professor in private about coming back here, but the Prof had insisted that he visit at least once, if only to get closure.

The day he'd first developed his powers had happened right on the very sidewalk he was dragging himself along now. It all came back to him; the perfect night turned nightmare.

* * *

_Friday, May 19 th, 2000_

_It was the night any nearly-fourteen-year-old guy could dream of. There he was, with the most popular girl in his grade, Judy Harmon, on his arm, strolling along the sidewalk. They both had just had a great time at the carnival; Bobby had won her a large stuffed teddy for throwing ice cubes, of all the random objects in the world, into a bucket twenty feet away. Just thinking about it freaked him out a little. Only his parents knew about the strange things that happened around him, specifically when it came to ice._

_At first, it hadn't seemed like much. After all, it'd been the middle of winter at the time. It started out small; the room would get colder whenever he walked in. Dad blamed it on the ancient heater that Mom refused to replace ("It hasn't blown up yet, so it's still useful!"). Then he just started getting colder. No matter what he did – blankets, hot drinks, sleeping by the fireplace – Bobby just couldn't stop shivering sometimes. Once or twice it got so bad that he called in sick, so that he wouldn't have to go to school. Of course, at that point, he and his parents really **did** think he was sick, and it wasn't like he was the only kid staying home at that time of year. But as the weather warmed up, he still had cold spells that seemed to fill the entire house. Their heating bill had gone up considerably, but they barely noticed the temperature difference inside. Then, one day Mom had made him some of her famous hot chocolate. It was frozen solid the second he touched the mug._

_At that point, there was no more denying that something strange was happening to him. When he kept track of his 'cold spells', Bobby found that they happened only once a day. He was nervous when they day came for his date with Judy, but then the cold had come and gone before it was time to pick her up. So now he was in the clear._

_His next plan was to take her out to dinner at any restaurant she chose, but the café she’d picked was too far away for them to walk there. So they were headed back to his house to beg his dad to drive them there. It was a little embarrassing on Bobby's part, but neither of them could drive yet. Anyway, it didn't matter. Once they got there, they would enjoy themselves. He'd been saving up all month so that he could afford their dinner._

_"Judy! What's up, hon?"_

_Bobby gritted his teeth. Of all the people in the world, why did it have to be Rocky Beasely? The guy was a total dick! Months later, Bobby would notice that Scott and Duncan's interactions were scarily similar to the ones he had with this idiot._

_Rocky jogged up from behind them, skidding to a stop so that he 'accidentally' bumped into the pair and forced them apart. "My bad," he 'apologised'._

_"What do you want?" Bobby snapped. He'd been having too good a night to want to deal with this guy._

_"Nothin'," the jock replied casually, sticking his hands into the pockets of his letterman jacket, "Why, am I interrupting something?"_

_"Yeah, our date."_

_"Date? You two are on a date?!" Rocky burst out laughing, increasing Bobby's annoyance. None of them noticed at the time just how cold it was getting. In hindsight, Bobby probably should've, but he was too pissed off to pay attention. "Yeah, right! Come on, Judy. How's about we ditch this doorknob? I know just the spot, nobody ever goes there, so you and me can have a little 'alone time.'"_

_Judy glared at him. Smart girl. "Would you listen to yourself?" she snapped, "I wouldn't be caught dead with you."_

_Rocky just grabbed her arm. "Hey!" Bobby yelled. He tried to pull them apart, but the bully shoved him to the ground._

_"Stay out of this, Drake. Judy and I are having a conversation."_

_"Let me go!" Judy ordered Rocky, trying to break free. Beasely only grinned and pulled her closer._

_"You heard her!" Bobby echoed, "Let go before I make you!" He pointed his finger threateningly at Rocky, and then it happened._

_Within a second, a patch of frost appeared around the bully's feet – in the middle of May. It grew thicker and thicker and began to crawl up to his feet, until his knees, legs, chest, arms, neck, and finally his head were encased in solid ice._

_Judy pulled away, her eyes bulging. "W-w-what..." she stammered, "What did you do?"_

_Bobby was frozen. Not literally, like Rocky, but frozen statue-still in shock. He stared at his hand. It was glowing. Glowing blue. Icy blue. His eyes darted between that and the ice sculpture that was once Rocky Beasely._

_Did he just do that? No, that was impossible. He'd already gone through today's cold spell. He was supposed to be okay until morning, at the earliest. And most importantly, why was his hand **glowing**?!_

_He realised Judy was staring at his hand, too, with a terrified expression on her face. Bobby turned his hand over a few times, his uneasiness building every second. He shook it a few times, and the glow eventually faded._

_"No way," he whispered, "Not again. What... what's going on with me?" H e looked up at Judy for support, but she was backing away._

_"Stay away from me."_

_"What? No, Judy, please! I can explain!" He stood up, but she took several more steps back._

_"Don't come any closer!"_

_"Judy, just calm down!" He reached out to her, but she screamed and started running. "Judy!"_

* * *

Bobby finally came to a stop on the doorstep. He stared at the knocker for a long time, a cold look in his eyes that had nothing to do with his powers. He didn't expect any love behind that door. It'd been a long time since he had. Jubilee tugged a little on his arm, bringing him back to reality. "You okay?" she asked, her voice a near whisper, "You’ve barely said a word since this morning. Aren't you happy to see your parents again?"

Bobby sighed, reaching up and grasping the knocker. "You're about to find out," he replied.

He knocked three times. They'd never gotten a doorbell on the house; it'd been built decades ago, located in the older area of town. His parents had insisted on keeping it just the way it was. Their outdated beliefs had often gotten him teased at school, and more recently, they had practically disowned him from the family.

At first, it seemed nobody was home. Then footsteps could be heard inside. The door was slowly opened, and Bobby braced himself for the explosion, the cursing, the screaming.

Instead, Maggie Darwin stood in the door. Bobby breathed a sigh of relief. Good old Maggie, his favourite cousin. She definitely seemed shocked to see him, but then again, he hadn't expected to see her. After the Sentinel fiasco, when the world had been freaking out about the existence of mutants, she'd written him a long e-mail saying she didn't hate him and the others, that she and her parents weren't like that. Of course, it'd been a week until Bobby actually read the e-mail, but news like that never came too late. His parents, on the other hand, had practically gone to war against 'mutie-lovers' like Maggie's family. So the fact that she was standing in their house was a bit confusing.

"Bobby?" she asked.

"Hey, Mags," Bobby replied, trying to sound casual, but failing miserably, "Mom and Dad home?"

Maggie nodded, still staring at him. "Yeah. And before you ask, Grandma got sick of our moms fighting, so she dragged us here for a 'peace conference'." Maggie and Bobby's mothers were sisters.

Bobby found a little amusement in that. "Yeah, that sounds like Grandma, all right." Jubilee poked him lightly. "Oh, right. Maggie, this is my girlfriend Jubilee from the Institute. Jubes, meet my cousin Maggie."

Jubilee smiled, extending her hand. "It's nice to meet you," she said. Maggie grinned back and returned the handshake. "May we come in?"

"Hell yeah! Grandma's been just dying to see you again, Bobby, and I've told her everything you told me about your friends in your e-mails." She opened the door a little wider and stepped back so they could enter. "Come on, everyone's in the family room."

Bobby stepped in after Jubilee, still a little hesitant about all this. What would happen when he walked into the room? He silently pulled off his blue coat and hung it next to Jubilee's yellow one, even though he had a feeling he'd be needing it a minute later. Well, he wouldn't exactly _need_ it; the chilly temperature outside was nothing. He could survive any cold weather, but people would give him funny looks if he walked around all year long in a t-shirt and shorts.

Maggie was the first to slip past the stairs and into the family room, where raised voices could be heard through the door. "Who was at the door, Magnolia?" That was definitely Grandma. No one else called Maggie by her real name, since she'd long since made it clear that she hated it with a passion. Jubilee had expressed similar dislike to her own name: Jubilation. What kind of parents came up with that?

"Bobby." Maggie's response instantly quelled down all the little arguments that'd been going on. "He's here with a friend."

"Well, for goodness sakes, bring him in!" Taking that as a cue, Bobby walked in with Jubilee, dragging his feet as he went. His mother and father were sitting on one sofa, while Uncle Greg and Aunt Charlie were opposite them, and Grandma was right in the middle in the rocking chair. Everyone but his mother and father greeted him with warm smiles, and for the first time in a long time, Bobby actually felt somewhat welcome there.

Aunt Charlie got right up and hugged him. "It's good to see you again, Bobby," she told him.

"Ditto," Uncle Greg piped up from his seat.

Bobby skipped over his parents and went straight to his grandmother. Her wrinkled face had stretched into a grin so wide it could've wrapped around her tiny head three times. She shakily put her spindly arms around him in a hug, which he gladly returned. "Oh, you've had me worried, Robert," she scolded him playfully, "I never heard from you at all. But then again, I guess Magnolia never told you I got an e-mail account set up."

Bobby smiled. "No, she didn't," he answered.

"Well, that explains everything." She kissed both of his cheeks. "You've grown up so much. I can hardly recognize you."

Jubilee giggled, and he remembered that people were watching. His face now three shades of red, he stood up and walked over to stand next to her and Maggie by Uncle Greg and Aunt Charlie's side of the room. For the first time since entering, he gave his parents a good look over.

His mother sat up straight, the way she always did when people were watching. She would never be caught relaxing, unless one caught her in her rose garden out back. Besides that, she was always bustling around the house, cleaning and cooking like a housewife from the 1950's. She eyed him with disdain, as if he were a lump of dirt in her otherwise spotless house.

His father was even worse. His expression held pure disgust, especially when they flickered over to Jubilee. Stupid racist. If it weren't for his life outside of home, Bobby was willing to bet he would've turned out just like him: arrogant and discriminating to anyone who wasn't of the Caucasian race. Or the human one, for that matter. They'd used to be best of friends, despite that difference of opinion, but when it became clear that something was different about _him_ , it'd all fallen apart.

* * *

_Bobby started after Judy, but another voice distracted him. "What's going on out here?" It was his father, standing in the doorway. His eyes travelled at first to Judy's retreating form, then to Rocky, and finally to Bobby, who probably looked terrified as hell at the moment._

_"I... I don't know. We were just heading back here, so we could beg you to give us a lift to dinner, and this guy, Rocky, he goes to our school, he came up and started hitting on Judy. He grabbed her and I told him to let go, and then..." He gestured at the frozen boy, still in shock._

_"Get inside," Dad told him, "Come on."_

_Bobby did as he was told, still rambling. "I don't know how it happened, but my hands were... they were **glowing** a second ago. I think... I **know** I did this. B-but that's not possible, right? I thought that stuff was done for the day. What if it's getting worse? What if I wake up one morning and find out I froze the entire neighbourhood, or something?" He was vaguely aware of being gently pushed into a chair, and a pair of hands stroking him._

_It was Mom. "Bobby, please, calm down," she soothed him, "I'm sure that... whatever this is, we'll figure it out. I'll go make you some tea, all right?" She got up and left, blowing on her hands._

_"I don't need anything."_

_"Yes, you do, honey. You're freezing. It's happening again. Aren't you cold?"_

_"Not really, no. I feel fine. You know, besides the fact that I just-"_

_"Don't think about it, son." Dad sat down beside him. "You have to calm down, you're starting to lose it."_

_Bobby took a deep, shuddering breath, which left his mouth in a visible, smoky puff. Dad was right. He had to remain calm._

_It took only a minute for Mom to come back with the tea. She pressed the steaming cup into his hands and sat down on his other side. Bobby tried to take a sip, but instead of hot liquid, his lips met something cold and hard. He gasped as he realised that the tea had frozen solid in the cup, probably the second he'd touched it. His parents exchanged shocked looks once they realised it, and he felt panic beginning to build up in him again. His hands began shaking, and the teacup fell to the floor, shattering on impact. "Why is this happening to me?" he whispered, unable to keep the tremor out of his voice._

_The sound of shouting voices could be heard outside the window. Dad got up and looked out the window. "Oh my God," he whispered. Against his better judgement, Bobby got up and ran over to seen what was going on outside._

_Practically half the neighbourhood was gathered outside, all holding makeshift weapons. Several of them, he noted, were kids from school. Mr. Beasely, Rocky's father, was at the front, looking enraged. "Come on out!" he yelled, "You little freak! What did you do to my son?! WHAT DID YOU DO TO MY SON?!" Bobby backed away from the window, collapsing on the couch. Mom was already on the phone, frantically calling the police._

* * *

"William, Madeleine," Grandma chided them, "Aren't you happy to see your son?" Bobby saw his father's knuckles whiten even more, if that was even possible.

He couldn't help it. "No, they're not," he spat, "They've made that obvious ever since people found out about mutants. I haven't even set foot in here since my first vacation after that, and it was only for a minute."

Jubilee gave him a surprised look. "But what about all the other holidays?" she asked him, "Amara said you never stayed at the Institute."

"I was at Evan's place. Warren's one time, when some punk decided to trash the place. Nobody knew he was Angel, so we could stay there without getting any grief. A whole lot better than what I got from these two."

"Robert..." Grandma began. She seemed to be at a loss for words. Aunt Charlie and Uncle Greg had gone back to glaring at his parents from across the room.

"They actually had me stuck in _jail_. Even if it was supposed to be 'for my own protection', it's still jail! If Scott hadn't shown up, I would've gone insane."

* * *

_Bobby felt like a criminal behind those bars. And he didn't like it. Why was he in here again? Oh, yeah. When the police had arrived to deal with the mob slowly gathering outside their house, he and his parents had slipped out the back and into a waiting squad car. At the station, the sheriff had gone on about how the crowd would come looking for him, so they had to place him somewhere safe. ‘And what's safer than a jail cell?' Bobby thought sarcastically as he kicked the wall in frustration. What was even worse was that his parents agreed to it. They said they only wanted whatever kept him safe. He had to agree that there wasn't any other place he could go. There was no telling what his friends' reactions would be, and home was definitely not an option._

_He flopped onto the hard cot and stared at the ceiling. What was happening to him? This wasn't normal stuff. These... powers of his weren't natural at all. What was he?_

_He felt the freezing sensation spreading through him, just like it'd started earlier back home. It was weird. Normally his cold spells started very abruptly. One second he was fine, and the next, he was shivering like mad. But this time, the transition was slower; he hadn't even been aware of it at the start. In fact, after he'd frozen his tea, he'd felt a little warmer inside. Like all that cold had left him for a bit, like it was being... released._

_A small explosion sound startled Bobby out of his thoughts, and he sat bolt upright just in time to see the back wall of his cell being blasted apart. Dust filled the air as alarms went off. Blinded, Bobby tried calling for help, but the choking cloud made it impossible to breathe. As he coughed and tried to clear his throat, Bobby felt a hand grab his arm and pull him out of the building._

* * *

"That boy blew up the police station," Bobby's mother hissed, the first time she'd spoken since he'd entered.

"It was just one part of the wall," he reminded her, "It's not like he went and blasted the whole building to bits!" Although he could have if he'd wanted to. "What do you have against us, anyway? Everything was fine until the whole Sentinel disaster."

"The what?" Uncle Greg interrupted.

"Those huge robots my friends were fighting in the streets. They're called Sentinels. Machines built to destroy us and anything or anyone who gets in their way just because our genes are a little different." His frustration was building with every word as he recalled more and more of the unfairness that he'd been on the receiving end of, just because of his DNA.

* * *

_Once they were out of the dust, he got a look at his – kidnapper? Rescuer? The guy was barely older than Bobby himself, but significantly taller. He had on a weird suit made of dark blue spandex, of all things, and a gold and red visor that covered his eyes. "Don't say anything," he told Bobby, "Just wait until we're far enough away before you ask any questions."_

_Bobby was in too much shock to say a word until they were about three blocks away from the station. They ran all the way, and Bobby was soon breathless trying to match the other boy's pace. The guy pulled him into an alley and finally stopped._

_"Who are you?" Those were the first words out of Bobby's mouth as soon as he got back his ability to talk._

_"My name is Scott, Scott Summers. Listen, I know you've had a rough night, Bobby, but I need you to come with me. There's a place out in Bayville-"_

_"I'm n-not going anywhere unt-til you tell me how the hell you know m-m-m-my name!" Bobby interrupted, his inner temperature dropping rapidly with every word. Weird enough things had happened already without him getting dragged off who knows where._

_"It's okay, I just want to help. Look, I know about your powers; I know what happened. And I understand what you're going through better than you'd think-"_

_"Y-y-yeah, right! How c-could you p-p-possibly underst-stand what's b-been happ-p-p-p-happening to m-m-me?" At that, Bobby's hands began to glow blue again. The cold that'd been spreading all over him accumulated there, completely numbing his fingertips._

_"Okay, calm down." This guy, Scott, backed up a few steps. "Like I said, I'm here to help. I just need you to come-"_

_"STAY AWAY FROM ME!" With a flash, all the cold left Bobby's hands in the form of ice. Solid ice. Shaped like sharp projectiles, they hurled towards Scott at a deadly speed. Another flash, this one red, and they vanished. Bobby was shocked to realise that it'd come from Scott's visor._

_"That's enough," a new voice stated. Bobby spun around to see a small group of people approaching them. At the front was a bald man in a wheelchair, who appeared to be the speaker. "I assure you, Bobby, no one is here to harm you. My name is Professor Charles Xavier. I run a school in Bayville for gifted youngsters. And by 'gifted', I mean people with your sorts of abilities." Bobby glanced at the rest of his group. There was a redheaded girl in the back, one with dark brown hair in a ponytail, a boy that had some sort of spikes sticking out of his shoulders, another girl with white bangs, a woman with pure snow-white hair, and a fuzzy blue creature with cat-like yellow eyes. This was just freaky. Did they really have the same powers he did? "Yes, and no," Xavier responded. Bobby was more than a little startled to realise that the man had answered his thoughts. "We all have different powers, powers that most humans do not possess. I myself am a telepath. I can read people's thoughts and project into their minds."_

_"As in, he can talk to you all, like, in your head," the brunette girl added, "It's way better than a PA system."_

_"BOBBY!" They all turned to see Bobby's parents racing up the street, looking frantic._

_"Mom! Dad!" His mother rushed up and practically strangled him in a hug._

_"We were so worried," she whispered, "After the explosion, they said you were missing. Are you all right?"_

_Bobby nodded. "I'm fine, Mom." He gestured in Professor Xavier's direction. "Mom, Dad, this is Professor Xavier. He runs some sort of school up in Bayville for people with powers, like me."_

_Xavier rolled forward. "It's a pleasure meeting you, Mr. and Mrs. Drake," he greeted them formally, holding out his hand. He shook with both of Bobby's parents. "I have come to offer your son a place at my school. He will learn to control his abilities properly, so as to avoid another encounter like tonight." He turned to the redheaded girl. "Jean, did you wipe their minds?"_

_"Yes, Professor," the girl, Jean, replied, "Nobody remembers a thing about what happened to Rocky Beasley, or Scott's not-so-stealthy jailbreak. They think it was a faulty gas pipe."_

_Scott's face flushed red. "Yeah, sorry about that," he mumbled, "I guess it would've been easier to send Kitty or Kurt in, huh?"_

_"Perhaps we could continue this discussion elsewhere," the white-haired lady suggested, "We won't be able to stand out here much longer without attracting attention."_

_"Indeed, Storm," the Professor agreed, "Kurt, if you will transport us back to the Drake home? That is, if they are all right with that." Mom hesitated, then nodded. Dad did the same, but seemed more reluctant._

_"Alright, zen," the blue creature spoke up in a German accent. Mom half-shrieked when she actually noticed him. "I get zat all ze time," he replied, sounding a little depressed. Bobby couldn't help but feel bad for the guy, even though he barely knew him. "Let's go." Xavier's group all crowded around him, and Scott brushed past Bobby to take Jean's hand._

_The spiky kid offered Bobby his. "You'll all need to stay in physical contact if you want to be teleported along with the rest of us," he explained, "Don't worry, man, it doesn't hurt. It just smells a little." Choosing not to question that last statement, Bobby took the boy's hand. Mom was still hanging onto him, and Dad had one hand on her shoulder. Bobby gave a nod to the blue guy – Kurt – and suddenly they were in the living room back home._

_It was a second later when the sulphurous odour reached his nose, and now he understood what the other guy had meant. Said spiky guy immediately made himself at home and flopped down onto the couch. "Evan!" the white-haired woman – the Professor had called her Storm, right? – scolded him, "We're guests here."_

_Evan looked sheepish as he got up. "Oh, yeah. Sorry Auntie O."_

_Mom steered Bobby over to the couch and sat him down, even though she looked like she was the one a little weak in the knees. "So what did you want to tell us about this school of yours?" she asked the Professor._

_Professor Xavier smiled. "The Xavier Institute for Gifted Youngsters is a school for children who display peculiar abilities, such as your son here. They learn how to control their powers, and how to use them responsibly. Ms. Munro here is one of the instructors..." He gestured to Storm "...and everyone else here with me is a student; Scott, Jean, Kitty, Rogue, Kurt, and Evan." Each kid nodded or waved when their name was mentioned._

_The girl with the white bangs – Rogue – spoke up from her spot near the lamp. "This is the entire student body right here." She had a distinct Southern Belle accent._

'Wow,' _Bobby thought,_ 'Can you even qualify as a school with only...' _He counted them._ '...six students?'

'That's why we rushed here so fast when we detected you.' _Bobby jumped as the Professor's voice echoed in his head._

_"Whoa!" he gasped. Mom and Dad glanced at him, confusion written all over their faces._

_"He did the whole 'talking in your head' thing, didn't he?" The brunette – Kitty – asked. Bobby nodded, surprised at her nonchalance over the whole thing. "Yeah, you get used to it after, like, a couple weeks or so."_

_"Anyway," Storm interrupted, bringing the conversation pack on its original path, "we would be delighted if you would allow your son to attend, Mr. and Mrs. Drake. He will receive the training he needs, and he will be among others who are going through a similar experience."_

_Bobby turned to his parents. He liked the idea of this school. Mom and Dad, on the other hand, didn't seem convinced. "I don't know..." Dad mused, "I'm not entirely comfortable with this." The look on his face suggested he was closer to a 'no' than a 'yes'._

_"Dad," Bobby half-whined, inwardly wincing at how much he sounded like a little kid, "I want to go. I trust these people. Please, Dad."_

_Dad sighed. "Fine," he relented, "We'll do it."_

_Bobby hugged him and Mom. "Thanks." He couldn't help the big grin that was spreading on his face. He was going someplace where he wouldn't feel like a freak, someplace where he didn't have to hide what he could do._

* * *

"Enough of this," his father snapped, "You know you're not welcome in this house. How _dare_ you come strutting in here and act like you belong anywhere?" At this, Uncle Greg stood up, but Bobby's father just went on undeterred. "You stopped being our son the second you became one of them! Now get out!"

Bobby clenched his fists. Mr. Drake's words cut him like a dull, jagged knife. "FINE!" he shouted, "I'VE GOT BETTER THINGS TO DO THAN STAND AROUND AND TAKE CRAP FROM AN ASSHOLE LIKE YOU!" And with that, he turned and stormed out.

No one was at the park, so he sat down on the cold metal bench. It was only then that he let the tears he'd been holding back fall. They froze halfway down his cheek.

Anyone passing by would've noticed the wind picking up and a thick snow suddenly beginning to fall. Some might blame it on the unstable climate. Others would figure out that it was the doing of a mutant.

"Bobby!" He looked up to see Jubilee and Maggie running up to him, the latter carrying his coat over her arm. The former reached him first, stopping right in front of where he sat. "Bobby, are you okay?" He opened his mouth, but couldn't get any sound out. He honestly didn't know the answer.

Was he okay? He was so full of pain, anger, confusion, the list went on. So he supposed he'd have to say no. He wasn't okay. But he couldn't put it to words.

"Bobby, please," Jubilee begged, putting a hand on each of his shoulders, "Talk to me." Bobby gritted his teeth, clenched his fists, and screwed his eyes shut. He now knew exactly how to describe how he was feeling, but he couldn't say it. He'd blow up, something he couldn't bear forcing Jubilee to witness. More tears poured out, pretty much covering the sides of his face with ice as they froze.

He felt her sit down beside him and put both arms around his trembling body. It was hard to tell which one of them was shaking worse; she was shivering like mad from the cold he was emitting. If he didn't calm down, he could wind up killing her, at this rate. Bobby started taking slow, even breaths, willing the blizzard to dissipate and his temperature to rise a little. Only when he felt he was calm enough did he open his eyes. Maggie and Jubilee were both staring at him, looking worried as hell.

"No," he whispered, "I'm not okay. My own parents hate me, they don't want anything to do with me. I don't have a family anymore."

"Hey!" Maggie interrupted, "What does that make me and my Mom and Dad? Chopped liver? You still have us, and you can't forget Grandma."

"And what about me and all the other kids at the Institute?" Jubilee continued, "You and Sam have been like brothers since you first met, Jamie looks up to you like his personal role model, and you once told me the Professor was more like a father to you than your actual dad. And don't forget the Daniels' and Warren. They took you in several times! Wake up, Bobby, you have _plenty_ of family. If your mom and dad have a problem with what you are, screw them! You shouldn't care about what they think, got it?"

Bobby stared at her, trying to process her long speech. She was right. Who needed the Drakes? He had so much more now than anything they could've offered him. His best friends, his mentors, Grandma, Aunt Charlie, Uncle Greg, Maggie, and of course Jubes. He couldn't imagine where he'd be without them. Especially Jubes.

A small smile formed, a little strained, but only because the ice on his cheeks had frozen around his face to fit the expression he'd worn when he'd been in so much pain and turmoil a minute ago. "Thanks," he said, "You're right. I'm done with those two. Who needs 'em, anyway?"

Maggie laughed and hugged him. "That's more like it," she told him, "The whole 'Depressed Bobby' thing just doesn't seem normal."

"Since when is he ever normal?" Jubilee commented.

Bobby's smile grew into a playful smirk. "Hey, I resent that," he joked, willing the snow on a branch above them to come down on her head.

"Oh, so that's how you want to play. Alright." She grabbed a fistful of snow from the miniature mountain on her head and shoved it into his face.

Roaring with laughter, the three of them scattered and began a furious snowball fight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next up is Rahne! Her story won't include as much of Moira McTaggert (I think I spelled that right), but other than that, I think it's accurate.


	3. Chapter 2: The Story of Rahne 'Wolfsbane' Sinclair

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So here's Rahne's story! Hope you all like it.
> 
> I'm sorry if I mess up with some of the Catholic stuff (I'm a Baptist Christian, and have only been to a Catholic service 3 times: my grandfather's funeral when I was eight, evening mass when I was staying with my grandmother once, and some other service).
> 
> Oh, and as for translations, the only languages I am familiar with are English (duh, this is IN English) and French, which I've been learning for about half my life. All the stuff in foreign languages is done using Google Translate, and is probably word-for-word, and might not be accurate, but it's the best I can do! So if you ARE familiar with Portuguese or Irish (Google Translate doesn't do Gaelic, so I went with this instead, yes I KNOW Rahne isn't Irish), sorry if it's wrong.
> 
> But if anyone knows a translation site that DOES do Gaelic, please let me know. Pretty please?
> 
> EDIT: I'VE DITCHED THE IDEA OF WRITING EVERYTHING OUT IN IRISH AND THEN PUTTING THE TRANSLATION IN THE FOOTNOTES
> 
> DISCLAIMER: I do not own X-Men: Evolution or its character, Marvel does.

_Sunday, March 10 th, 2002_

_LOCATION: ROSS AND CROMARTY, SCOTLAND_

The grey clouds created a heavy oppression in the air as Rahne walked down the cobbled streets. For most of her classmates, going back to their hometown would've been only a little depressing, what with the world's attitude towards mutants, but at least they had family who loved them unconditionally. She wasn't so lucky. The only one who would even talk to her here was Roberto; he'd offered to accompany her on the impossible mission of reconciling with Reverend Craig.

The day she'd discovered her powers was a day she wouldn't soon forget. It was the same day she'd been rejected by her so-called 'father figure'.

* * *

_Tuesday, May 23 rd, 2000_

_Rahne nearly tripped over a loose stone in the road, but caught herself just in time. The last thing she needed was to trip and fall; the entire congregation was behind her, carrying torches to see in the dark and, if she was caught, burn her with._

_She turned a corner into an alleyway and ducked behind a dumpster so that she couldn't be seen as the mob raced past. Their angry shouts of "Burn the werewolf!" and "Find the beast!" terrified her to the core. She looked at her hands, whimpering as she saw the fur beginning to sprout again. She focused on them, picturing what they normally looked like, and they returned to that state. The good news was that she was gaining control over these transformations. The bad news was that, well, she could turn into a wolf._

_What was she? The first thing Rahne had considered, of course, was a werewolf, but after a while, she wasn't so sure. After all, according to every story she’d ever heard, werewolves were supposed to only transform during the night of the full moon. Rahne changed every night. They had no say as to whether or not the change would happen. She was slowly getting control over hers. They had no memory of their time spent as a wolf. She could remember all her adventures as a four-legged beast. They became werewolves by being bitten by another. She definitely hadn't had an encounter with a werewolf. Therefore, Rahne was pretty sure she wasn't a werewolf._

_But that still left the question of what she actually **was**._

_Footsteps sounded nearby. Rahne held her breath. The person came closer, closer, closer. She could hear them perfectly. They were in the alley. They headed towards her hiding place. She squeezed her eyes shut and prepared for the worst._

_"Rahne." She looked up._

_"Reverend Craig!" she gasped in relief, "Oh, thank goodness! Please, you've got to help me! All those people, they want to kill me! I didn't even do anything! I'm not a werewolf; I'm getting control of this. Soon I'll probably be able to stop it completely, and everything will be normal again, right? "She gazed up at him with pleading eyes, but the shadows in the alley made it impossible to see his face._

_Reverend Craig grabbed her by the arm and dragged her to her feet. "SHE'S HERE!" he shouted, "THE VILE BEAST IS HERE!"_

_Rahne felt tears coming to her eyes. "Reverend Craig, it's me! You know I'm not like that, you raised me! Please, don't do this!"_

_"Silence, demon! You have hidden under my church long enough! All these years you pretended to love the Lord our God, but in truth you were waiting for the moment to strike! You shall be destroyed for the sake of God's people, and you will realise the mistake you made in worshipping the devil!"_

_"No! No, I never did anything like that!" She tried running away, but his grip was tight. "NOOOOOOOOOOO!"_

_The change came on instinct. Fur grew all over her body. Her nose elongated into a canine snout. Her hands morphed into paws, and an ear-splitting howl burst from her throat._

_Reverend Craig released her arm – well, now it was a front leg – and she took off. Rahne ran down the street, her enhanced senses telling her where the mob was: close behind her. She dashed towards the forest. She could hide in there. She would be safe._

_Suddenly, her legs were ensnared in something, and she felt herself being lifted off the ground. It was a net, set up to catch whatever poor animal that was unlucky enough to walk onto it. She struggled, feeling herself revert back to her normal form. "Help!" she cried, although she doubted anyone who heard her would be kind to her, "No, please! I'm not a monster! Let me go!"_

* * *

Rahne pulled her hood further over her face, hoping that no one would recognise her as the 'monster' they'd once hunted down. Luckily, it was the middle of winter, so the hood and the scarf over her nose and mouth did not seem suspicious. Beside her, Roberto zipped up his jacket even further. Rahne was thankful that he was coming with her, despite the fact that he was nowhere near used to such a cold climate. She'd never been to Brazil, but she was pretty sure they never got winters like that. He was paler than usual, partly from the cold and partly because the clouds obscured the sun, blocking the solar energy he thrived on.

Rahne slipped her gloved hand into his and squeezed it. She felt like all her insides were tied in a giant knot. What if Reverend Craig still thought of her as a monster? She knew he was well aware of the truth of her condition, and the Professor had been optimistic that he, being a servant of God, would understand. It was on that tiny sliver of hope that she'd based her decision to give it a shot.

She and Roberto climbed the cracked stone stairs to the ancient church sanctuary where Reverend Craig would be leading morning mass. They planned on approaching him afterwards and talking to him alone. Many people glanced their way, and Rahne tensed up. Did they recognise her? No one seemed to be bothered, and went back to their own business after a second. Roberto squeezed her hand reassuringly and led her to a pew in the very back row. Then they saw Reverend Craig come up. As was his custom, he scanned every face in the crowd before starting. As his eyes reached Rahne, they stopped for just a second, but he shook his head and continued on, as if his imagination was only playing tricks on him. Rahne felt a strong stab of resentment. How he could forget the face of the girl he'd practically raised, then turned around and condemned to death less than two years ago?

* * *

_Rahne struggled, but her wrists and ankles were bound and hog-tied. She couldn't move. All around her, people were gathered, yelling at her, throwing small stones at her, cursing, spitting on her. She cried and begged and pleaded for them to listen, but none did. She was grabbed by her feet and dragged over the rough ground and tossed onto the pile of wood they'd set up. Then they advanced, holding out their torches._

_Among their faces, Rahne spotted that of Reverend Craig. His eyes held no pity, no remorse, only cold, bitter hardness._

_Then a woman screamed. Her torch had somehow ripped itself from her grasp, and was hovering far out of anyone's reach. Soon all the other torches did the same. Someone shouted that it had to be witchcraft. Then a loud, feral snarling could be heard. The crowd parted to reveal a man in a strange orange and dark blue costume running towards her. To Rahne's shock and horror, three razor-sharp blades erupted from his knuckles. He took a swing, and she cringed, only to feel the ropes falling away, sliced clean through. The man helped to her feet – to be more accurate, he picked her right up – and then a red-headed girl slightly older than her floated down out of the sky._

_"Enough," the girl insisted, "She's just a child. She's no monster, and you can't treat her like one."_

_"Forget it, Jean," the man growled, "They ain't gonna listen. Let's just get the girl someplace safe." He turned to Rahne. "Calm down," he told her, "We're not gonna hurt you. We're here to help."_

_"Anyone who helps that demon is an enemy of God!" Reverend Craig declared, "They all must burn!" The mob began to advance on them, spurred by his hateful words._

_"I was afraid he'd say that," Jean stated, "Hang on!" Rahne felt herself rising, and realised that she was being lifted by some unknown force. She gasped, and her world went black._

* * *

After the service, while most of the congregation got up and left, Rahne and Roberto made their way up to the front of the church, where Reverend Craig was heading to his private quarters. The door was already shut behind him by the time they reached it. Rahne took a deep, shuddering breath, practically the first she'd taken since entering. "It's now or never," she whispered.

Roberto put his hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry," he soothed her, "Everything will be fine. Just remember, _Amor_ , I'm right beside you all the way."

She raised a trembling hand and, after a few seconds of hesitation, knocked lightly. The door swung open, and Reverend Craig was standing in the doorway. His eyes widened in shock as he recognised her, then hardened. He grabbed at the cross he wore on his neck and held it out in front of him, as if trying to ward her off. "Begone, demon, you are not welcome in this house of God."

"Reverend Craig, please. Just hear me out. I didn't come all this way here for nothing. All I want is for you to listen."

Reverend Craig's facial expression didn't change, but he stepped aside to allow them entry into his office. Rahne and Roberto edged in. It hadn't changed at all since she'd last been there. The same oil paintings of Jesus Christ hung on the walls, and she could swear the wooden crosses set up all over the place hadn't been moved so much as a millimetre from their original positions. The atmosphere was strict and severe, not helping in the least.

"Cé hé féin?" Reverend Craig asked harshly.

"Reverend Craig, this is Roberto da Costa. He's a friend of mine from the Institute, he offered to come here with me."

"Cén fáth?"

"Well, emotional support, I guess. Please, would you mind speaking in English? The only other languages he knows are Spanish and Portuguese."

"Very well. What is it you have to say?" He glared down at the two of them with the same stern expression he'd given Rahne so many times before.

"You do know what I really am, right? A mutant, not a werewolf."

"I see no difference."

"Well, I do. It's a new step in human evolution, not a curse or anything. I came here because I was hoping you would see things that way, that you would understand that we're not some creations of the Devil!"

"Humph! I knew from the moment you were born you would be trouble. Considering the whore your mother was!"

Rahne's temper flared. "My mother? You said you never knew her! Yet you insult her so!"

 _"She was nothing but a shameless prostitute!"_ he began shouting in Gaelic, _"I was not surprised in the least when you turned out to be a creature of Satan! I am ashamed to be your father!"_

Rahne lost the ability to speak, both in English and in Gaelic. Her _father_?!

Roberto tapped her on the shoulder. "What is it?" he demanded. Rahne could see the frustration in his eyes from not being able to understand the last few bits of conversation. "What did he say?"

"My father..." Rahne whispered.

"What about him?" Rahne had told Roberto all about her childhood, every gory detail, even more than Jubilee, her best friend. He was well aware that she didn't know her father. Or at least, she _hadn't_ known her father.

"Him. He's..." She didn't have to say anything more. Roberto's eyes widened with shocked comprehension as he looked back and forth between her and the red-faced Reverend Craig.

"I don't believe it." he murmured, "This is too crazy to be real."

"How? How come you never told me?"

"Please, as if I could let anyone know I was ever with _her_? You are just as bad as she is! Get out! Get out of this sanctuary!"

Rahne froze up in fear, disbelief, grief, and a thousand other emotions she couldn't place. She felt Roberto put his arms around her and begin to pull her out; she forced her legs to move along with him.

People who remained just outside the office stared at them as they ran out, as did everyone they passed until they reached a deserted street. There, Rahne fell to her knees, breaking out in sobs.

How could he? Reverend Craig's betrayal hit her again with renewed force, fuelled by this recent ultimatum. His own daughter?!

"Rahne?" Roberto asked softly. She tried to answer, but couldn't for two reasons: one, she couldn't think of anything to say; and two, she could barely take a breath to say a word anyway. So she just settled for crying even harder into his shoulder. He stiffened for just a split second, then drew his arms around her and pulled her in tightly. Rahne eventually began to calm down. She always felt safe with Roberto, even more than she'd felt when she'd first come to the Institute, or when she'd met her now legal guardian.

* * *

_Wednesday, May 24 th, 2000_

_Rahne opened her eyes blearily, taking in her surroundings._

_She was in a living room of some sorts, staring up at the ceiling. She tried to move, but felt a weight on top of her body. For a second, she panicked, but then she realised that it was a thick woollen blanket. She was lying on a cushy sofa, beneath a window with its curtains drawn. A faint amount of daylight filtered through the plaid fabric._

_Wait a minute, what time was it? Last time she'd checked, it'd been late at night._

_"You're up." Rahne nearly jumped out of her skin when the low, growling voice came out of nowhere. Looking around, she saw a heavily muscled, dark-haired man sitting in the armchair across the room. She recognised his peculiar outfit as the one that'd been worn by the man who'd rescued her, only now the cowl was off. On another sofa, his partner, the redhead, was stretched out beneath another blanket, fast asleep._

_"Where am I?" That was the first coherent thing Rahne could think of blurting out._

_"Muir Island." Another voice came from behind her. Rahne turned to see a woman in the doorway, wearing a dressing-gown and slippers, along with a pair of spectacles balancing on top of her head. "I am Dr. Moira McTaggert. I'm here to help you, Rahne."_

_"How do you know my name?"_

_"He told me." She jabbed her finger towards the man._

_"How does **he** know my name?"_

_"We got a special computer that locates people with special powers, like yours," the man replied, "Gives us all the basic info like yer name, where ya live, stuff like that. Red here an' I came over here to talk to ya about a special school in the States that'll teach ya how to control those powers, so you can avoid another incident like last night."_

_Rahne's mind was reeling. "What kind of powers?"_

_As an answer, the man held up his fist, and the blades jumped out of his knuckles again with a_ snikt _sound. "They call me Wolverine," he stated, "Jean over there has telepathy an' telekinesis, and there's a whole bunch of others like us with different powers. Mutants."_

_"Mutants?"_

_"Possibly the next step in human evolution," the Doctor explained, "I've been researching the genetics behind that for quite some time, now. These two work for an old colleague of mine, Professor Charles Xavier. He's the man who runs the school Wolverine mentioned just now. Built for young mutants to learn how to use their gifts in a positive way, so that they can still lead a relatively normal life."_

_Rahne liked the sound of that. A place where she could fit in, where she wouldn't have to hide what she was. "I'd love to go there," she stated, "How soon could I leave?"_

_"How 'bout next week?" Wolverine suggested, "Give you time to pack – and get stuff **to** pack. You can stay here with Dr. McTaggert 'till then, if ya want."_

_Rahne looked at the Doctor. She seemed nice, something Rahne hadn't had a lot of experience with. "Alright," she agreed, "I'd like that."_

* * *

Moira had been like the mother she'd never had, and Rahne had taken up the habit of calling her _Máthair_ , meaning 'mother'. Their relationship had been somewhat strained after she pulled Rahne out of the Institute temporarily – after all, she'd been the one to suggest she attend there in the first place – but now she understood that _Máthair_ had only wanted what was best for her.

Rahne calmed down after a few minutes, but remained in Roberto's arms. "Rahne," he whispered in her ear, "Do you want to go back to Moira's place now?"

"Yes. I don't need that man. I never did. I've got my own family with you and Moira and everyone else."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Up next: Sam!


	4. Chapter 3: The Story of Sam 'Cannonball' Guthrie

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! Yes, I am alive. I am SO SORRY I didn't put this up on time, but you would not BELIEVE the writer's block I had on this chapter!
> 
> DISCLIAMER: I do not own XME or any of its characters. I own Ed Fuant, Mr. Kane, and I kinda-sorta own Ashleigh. When I researched Sam's family, it listed all his other siblings and one unnamed sister, so that's my name for her.
> 
> Okay, I think you've waited long enough for this, so ENJOY!

_Sunday, March 10 th, 2002_

_LOCATION: CUMBERLAND, KENTUCKY_

"It's huge!" Amara gasped, "It makes you feel so small!"

Sam couldn't help but grin as he watched his girlfriend stare out the taxicab window at the passing Kentucky scenery. He was no stranger to the wide, open landscape that seemed to go on for miles, but for Amara, this was a new experience.

"Like it?"

She turned back in her seat to look at him. "It's amazing. And I thought the city was big! I can't imagine living in such a wide-open place like this."

"Well, you don't have to. We're spending half the week here, remember? Just wait 'till you see the family farm."

Amara wrinkled her nose. "I'm not going to have to do a whole lot of work, am I?"

Sam chuckled. "Maybe a little, but you're a guest. They always get the light work. You won't have to clean out the pigpen or anything. That's Paige's job."

"How many siblings do you have, again?"

"Uh... let's see, there's Paige, Jay, Jeb, Melody, Lewis, Joelle, Elizabeth, and Ashleigh. That's eight. Paige's thirteen, Jay's twelve, Jeb's ten, Melody's eight, Lewis and Joelle are both seven – they’re twins – Elizabeth’s six, and Ashleigh just turned five last month. Remember? I had to come back for her birthday party?" Sam sure remembered that party, although there were parts that he'd rather forget, like the one of which he would never speak again that involved ice cream, Elizabeth, and the farm tractor.

"No wonder you were so used to having such a big crowd at the Institute. You've got one back home, too!"

Sam shrugged. He'd never even thought about it. Having a big family was just something that came as normal to him. Ever since his father had died of lung cancer, he'd had to look after all his little brothers and sisters. And that had meant taking over his dad's job at the local coal mine, the town's main source of income. It was actually while on the job that his powers had surfaced...

* * *

_Saturday, May 27 th, 2000_

_Sam grunted as he shoved the cart up its rickety tracks towards the mouth of the tunnel. The coal dust was making him cough, and the heat was only just bearable. He was **so** not getting paid enough for this._

_Eighteen-year-old Ed Faunt was next to him, also trying to get that damn cart moving. You'd think a guy with arms the size of tree trunks would be able to push it up on his own, but no, those rusty wheels had to be the most goddamn stubborn things in the world. Sam knew his mother wouldn't approve of his cursing, but it was in his head, and the situation definitely called for expletives._

_It was the moving light that told Sam something was wrong. The whole mine was lit with lanterns hanging on spikes driven firmly into the wall, but they were trembling as if the whole wall was being shaken._

_A sudden rumbling sound proved what they were all fearing – the tunnel was collapsing! Sam and the other workers dropped everything they were doing and scrambled to get out. Sam, being the youngest and smallest at only fourteen, found himself being pushed back by the men as they shoved him out of their way. He could just see the tunnel entrance, when an avalanche of rocks and dirt fell, sealing them inside._

_"Hey!" Ed called, "Someone help! Get us out of here!"_

_Sam slumped down against the dirt wall, panting. The shaking had stopped, but who knew how long it would take for them to be dug out? Long enough for them all to run out of breathable air and suffocate? He'd heard of this happening before. His pa had told him and his brothers and sisters stories like this before. They didn't usually end too well._

* * *

The taxicab jerked to a stop, jolting Sam out of his flashback. They'd arrived at their destination. Sam smiled at the sight of his familiar old home. It was just the way he remembered it.

As he stepped out of the cab and helped Amara out, Sam saw something else that he found familiar: six kids racing out from all different directions, heading straight for him. Uh-oh.

He couldn't get out of the way in time before they all launched themselves on him in a big dog pile. Ow. "Hey, guys," he croaked, "How's it goin'?"

Ma, Paige, and Jay soon appeared, Paige giggling at the sight of him on the ground – again – Jay rolling his eyes, and Ma giving him a warm smile. "It's good to have you back, Sammie," she greeted him. Sam had to wait until all his other siblings finally got themselves off him before he could give his Ma a hug.

"Guys, this is Amara," he introduced everyone, "She'll be staying with us for a while, and then I'm gonna go with her to visit her family."

Paige pushed her way through the throng of kids. "So you're the girlfriend, huh?" she asked, cocking her eyebrow, "I'm Paige. Sammie's told us _allllllllllllllllll_ about you."

Sam felt his face heat up. "Paige..." he whispered, "Really? _Now_?"

Paige stuck her tongue out at him. "It's my job as the only little sister in the double digits. Deal with it. Just wait until Melody turns ten."

Sam grimaced at the thought. Paige was always trying to play matchmaker with him and the girls in town. Her excuse was that she wanted nieces and nephews, and she was _going_ to have her way. If Melody was the same way at that age... it would be torture. Especially when Paige was doing this in front of Amara. It was downright embarrassing!

Amara just giggled at him. "It's nice to meet you all," she greeted the whole family.

* * *

"So, all you have to do is just pull and squeeze like this, and..." Jeb demonstrated for Amara how to milk a cow, gently taking the udder and squeezing the milk out. "Now you try."

Amara took a deep breath and took Jeb's place on the stool. Sam stood by the barn door, watching with amusement. The princess awkwardly grabbed the udder and pulled, and let out a little gasp of surprise as milk squirted into the bucket. "Wow, this is easier than I thought," she commented. However, on her second squeeze, the cow, Daisy, mooed loudly and kicked the bucket over, knocking Amara on her butt. "Ow!" she cried, "Stupid cow!"

Sam chuckled and hurried over to help her up. "You must've squeezed too hard," he explained, "That, and Daisy's not all that used to strangers milking her."

Amara brushed straw off her clothes. "Well, maybe I'm just not cut out for milking. Got anything else I might actually be able to do?"

Sam scratched his head. "Well, the horses need to be fed. You could give Joelle a hand. She's down in the stables." He nodded his head in the direction of the stables. "C'mon, I'll walk you there." He hooked Amara's arm into his and started to lead her there, but then Paige and Jay stopped him at the barn door.

"Sammie, what do you think you're doing?" Paige scolded him, "We need you to help unload the new bags of seed we got yesterday! The weather forecast said it's raining later today, so we've got to get it all in the barn before it starts. So get a move on!"

She started pulling him out towards the driveway, where Sam saw a huge mountain of seed bags piled up by the road. "Just ask Joelle what to do!" he called to Amara over his shoulder, "I'll meet up with you later!"

* * *

Sam came into the house, exhausted, and was met with three things: the smell of Ma's cooking, Ashleigh squealing that she didn't want to wash up, and a disgruntled Amara with a towel on her head and wearing a pair of Paige's PJs. "Uh... I know I'm gonna regret asking this, but what happened?"

Joelle giggled. "She slipped and fell into the horse poop. She was covered from head to toe!"

Sam started laughing, but immediately choked it down when he saw Amara's deadly glare. "Aw, c'mon, baby, it's a little bit funny."

Amara rolled her eyes. "Not when _you're_ the one covered with horse sh-"

"Supper's ready!" Jay called. Amara's cursing was drowned out by the small stampede of kids fighting their way to the dinner table. Sam took his girlfriend's hand and somehow managed to get two seats for them that were actually next to each other (with Elizabeth's help).

"So, Sammie, how are things up at the Institute?" Paige asked.

Sum shrugged and took a bite out of his roast chicken. "Eh, not much has changed. Everyone at school's still bugging about us; Logan's still got us running those crazy Danger Rooms sessions. You know, the usual. Oh yeah, last week, Bobby and Jamie managed to put some of those instant fruit punch crystals in all the showerheads. Man, Roberto and I were lucky we were rooming with 'em, otherwise they would've put 'em in ours, too."

"Cool!" Joelle and Lewis gasped as one.

"Don't you even think about it," Jay warned them. He turned his glare at Sam. "Do you always have to give 'em ideas every time you come back from that place?"

Sam had noticed that Jay had changed since he'd started staying at the Institute. He was more sullen now, and he always seemed to be kind of mad at him. He'd asked Paige on his last visit, and she'd explained that when he'd left, the role of the 'man of the house' had fallen on Jay's shoulders. No doubt he was upset with Sam for that.

"So anyway, how's it been here?" Sam asked the rest of his family, trying to draw the topic of conversation away from Jay's anger.

"A few people have been giving us some flak for the whole mutant thing," Paige replied, "but most of the town is pretty okay with it. Mostly because of what you did when you first got your powers."

Sam rubbed the back of his neck. "Aw, that was nothing, really. It was mostly by accident."

* * *

_"Help!" The sound could barely be heard over the other men's calls, but Sam managed to pick it up. It wasn't coming from outside; it was coming from deeper inside the tunnel._

_Sam hesitated, and then headed in to find the man. It’s not like sitting around would do him any good._

_"Hello?" he called back, "Is anyone there?" A few pebbles came down on his helmet, and he decided to keep his mouth shut. Shouting was not a good idea in an unstable tunnel. He turned a corner and saw another barricade of rocks, only this one had a man lying in front of it. He rushed over. "Are you okay?" he asked._

_The man looked up at him, and in the lamplight, Sam recognised him as his neighbour, Ivan Eldred. "My foot," Mr. Eldred moaned, "It's stuck!" Sam looked over at Mr. Eldred's right foot and saw that it was lodged under one of the rocks. Sam tried to lift it up, but it was stuck tight._

_"Maybe if I can knock some of these other rocks off, getting rid of the extra weight could help." He backed up and ran towards the pile of rocks while Mr. Eldred cringed and pulled himself next to the wall. Sam charged forward and shoulder-slammed the pile. Nothing happened, except that his shoulder was now probably bruised. He rubbed it and went to try again._

_This time, however, was completely different. Sam felt his feet lifting off the ground as he shot towards the barricade. To his utter astonishment, he blasted right through as if it were nothing more than a pile of cardboard boxes. It didn't even hurt all that much; in fact, his not-so-graceful landing afterwards was more painful._

_"How... How did you do that?" Mr. Eldred gasped._

_Sam stood up shakily. "No clue, but I'm gonna wait until we're outta here before I start freaking out." He shoved aside some more rocks from on top of the one on Mr. Eldred's foot, and eventually managed to help him wriggle free._

_Mr. Eldred got to his feet and tried to walk, but stumbled when he put his weight on his right leg. Sam caught him and slung his arm over one shoulder. "Come on!" he insisted, half-supporting, half-dragging the man up the tunnel._

_By the time they reached the rest of the men, no progress had been made. They were all still shouting and clawing at the stony barricade. "Hasn't anyone come?" Sam asked Ed as he helped Mr. Eldred lean against the wall._

_"Not that I know of," the older teen replied, beginning to panic, "I don't think we're gonna make it!"_

_Sam looked at the impenetrable wall of rocks that was keeping them in there. He'd somehow broken through one just now... maybe he could do it again..._

_"Everyone, get out of the way!" he shouted above the din, backing up as he spoke._

_"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Ed cried._

_"I'm gonna smash this wall down."_

_"Are you crazy? If **I** can't body-slam my way out, **you** sure can't!" He started forward to stop Sam, but Mr. Eldred grabbed his wrist._

_"Wait," the man advised, "I don't know how, but he managed to knock away another pile back there and get my foot loose. Besides, it's not like we've got any other options besides sitting and dying here!"_

_Ed and the other men hesitated, then pressed up against the walls, making a clear path for Sam. Sam took a deep, shaky breath, and charged forward, yelling. Just like before, he felt himself accelerating until his feet left the ground and he rocketed into the barricade._

_He definitely felt the impact, but it was more like crashing through a thick wall of Styrofoam. He burst out into the sunny outside and landed on the dusty ground. It didn't really hurt, but it knocked the wind out of him. Shouts could be heard as fuzzy shadows surrounded him. Sam blinked in the bright light, trying to get his eyes adjusted._

* * *

"Well, accident or not, you saved lives."

"Seriously?" Amara asked, "Sam, how come you've never told anyone the story? Not even me?"

"Sammie doesn't like being in the spotlight," Ma explained, "Hero-worship isn't exactly something he's comfortable with. I'm guessing it was one of the reasons he was so eager to go to the Institute."

* * *

Hours later, Sam was lying on the roof of the barn, staring at the clear night sky. He missed being out here, looking up at the sky. In Bayville, there were so many lights from town that the stars were few and barely visible. Out here, however, the sky was covered with too many sparkling lights to count.

"Wow." Sam sat up halfway and looked over his shoulder to see Amara climbing out of the trapdoor that led from the loft to the roof. "I haven't seen a sky like this since the last time I was back home. It's one of the things I've been missing at the Institute."

"Me, too."

Amara carefully edged her way over and lay down next to him. "Anything else you miss about this place?"

Sam sighed. "Yeah. I've been missing the open land, my family, Ma's cooking..."

"Yeah, that roast chicken was amazing. I'm not sure how you were able to tear yourself away from that."

Sam chuckled. "It sure wasn't easy, but I felt it was for the best. I mean, I had to learn how to control my powers, and it was pretty crazy here, what with everyone freaking out about what I could do."

Amara snorted, "Like the Institute is any less crazy."

"True, very true. You should've been there when I first arrived."

* * *

_Thursday, June 1 st, 2000_

_Sam hefted the last of his bags over his shoulder and stepped down the ramp, looking around in awe at the inside of the huge, cavernous hanger. "Cool, huh?" Evan asked. Sam silently nodded in agreement, following the New Yorker over to an elevator. "So, I wouldn't advise wandering around this place alone for the first few days, man. It's pretty easy to get lost. I once walked into Kitty and Rogue's room looking for the bathroom. They still give me hell over that."_

_Sam chuckled. "Got it."_

_"You'll be rooming with Bobby. There's not a whole load of other students; just me, Scott, Jean, Kurt, Kitty, and Rogue, plus the other new kids Bobby and Rahne, and the three instructors are Logan, the Professor, and my Auntie O, also known as Storm. Technically we still have space for everyone to have their own room, but the grownups say it’s a good idea for us to spend more time together, ‘team bonding’ or something." The elevator doors opened, and Sam and Evan lugged Sam's stuff out and up the big staircase. They went down a couple hallways and stopped at the first door on the left. Evan knocked. "Yo, Iceman, you in there?" he called._

_A guy Sam's age opened the door, rubbing his eyes. "What?" he asked blearily. As he moved his hand, Sam could see some writing printed on his face, like he'd been sleeping with his head resting on paper with wet ink. The guy had probably drifted off in the middle of his homework._

_Evan smirked. "Just thought you'd like to say hi to your new roommate. Sam Guthrie, meet Bobby Drake."_

_Sam stuck out his hand and shook Bobby's. "Nice to meet ya," he introduced himself, "You been here long?"_

_"Nah, I just got here two weeks ago," Bobby replied, "Turned the school bully into a giant icicle. What'd you do?"_

_"Huh?"_

_"When you first discovered your powers. Everyone here's got some pretty interesting stories. Evan here ripped up his school gym's floor, Kitty fell through her bed and two floors, that sort of thing. So what's yours?"_

_"Blasted myself and some other guys out of a collapsed mine. I couldn't wait to get here and leave all the hero-worship behind. I hate being the center of attention"_

_"Cool! Looks like I got the short end of the stick in that department. I wound up getting stuck in a jail cell for my services. Seriously, I ice a guy who causes people nothing but trouble, and that's the thanks I get?"_

_"KURT!" The sound of a girl's voice rang throughout the mansion. There was a flash of light, and a guy appeared in a puff of horrible-smelling smoke. It took a second for Sam to register the fact that said guy was blue and fuzzy._

_A girl emerged from a room down the hall – running right through the door. Two more followed her, using the more conventional means of actually opening the door. "Give us back those cookies right NOW!" the gothic-looking one shouted in a southern accent slightly similar to Sam's own country twang, but not quite the same._

_The guy, Kurt, just grinned and held up the pair of chocolate-chip cookies in his three-fingered hand. "Why? They're good!" He spoke with a German accent. The smallest, red-headed girl growled – actually growled like some kind of animal – and started towards him, and he took a huge bite before vanishing again._

_"Evan!" the first girl shouted, "Why didn't you stop him?"_

_Evan shrugged. "Sorry, K-girl, it didn't cross my mind. Oh, this is Sam, the new kid."_

_"Hi," 'K-girl' greeted Sam, "I'm Kitty, and this is Rogue and Rahne." She then immediately turned back to Evan, but it was the goth girl called Rogue who took over chewing him out._

_"We saved up all our allowances to buy those gourmet cookies for our study session! Next time you see Blue Boy, tell him he'd better keep his hands off of them, or I will peel his fuzzy hide!"_

_With that, Kitty and Rogue stormed back into the room. Rahne lingered behind. "Get used to it," she warned Sam, "This place is crazy sometimes."_

_Sam snorted. "I've got eight younger brothers and sisters," he stated, "Bring it on."_

* * *

Amara laughed. "I can just picture Rogue's face! Kurt can be such a bottomless pit."

"I haven't even told you the best part. While the girls were out there talking to us, he ported back into the room and stole the whole plate."

"That doesn't surprise me at all. He's a tricky one." She sighed and turned her gaze back upward. "I could stare at this for days," she commented.

"Yeah, same here," Sam agreed, keeping his eyes on her.

She eventually noticed. "What are you staring at me for?"

"I was going to look at the stars, but I found something more beautiful."

Amara laughed, sat up, and smacked his arm. "That is _such_ a line."

Shrugging, Sam put his arm around her, and both of them continued to gaze into the night sky.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aww... you have no idea how much trouble I had with that ending. Anyway, next is... Tabby! I will try harder to get her chapter in on time! It'll hopefully be on the 31st of July.
> 
> And after that, in order, is... Alex, Roberto, Amara, Jubilee, Jamie, and RAY!


	5. Chapter 4: The Story of Tabby 'Boom-Boom' Smith

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, guys! Long time no see!
> 
> Okay, so I've decided that this will be updated every THREE weeks instead of two. I know you guys want updates, but it's just not enough time for me to crank out new chapters. Try to think positive and remember that the more time I have to work on these, the better quality they'll be. See my profile for the full posting schedule August through to the end of 2010.
> 
> Now, I usually try to stick to the comic incarnations of the characters, but I didn't have a whole load of information on Tabby, so I winged it and came up with a whole new backstory, using info I got from that episode where her dad shows up. I can't remember the ep number, but I do know it was early Season 2.
> 
> EDIT OCT 16, 2015: I have since changed the 'Madison Landors Memorial Residential Hospital', which I made up, to the real-life Mary Washington Hospice, located in Fredericksburg, Virginia. I have never been there, and simply picked it out of a list of hospices in Virginia off the internet, so any inaccuracies are considered to be creative license.
> 
> DISCLAIMER: I do not own X-Men Evo or any of its characters. I also do not own Mary Washington Hospice. I own Tabby's mom, Rachel, and the cab driver Benny.

_Sunday, March 10 th, 2000_

_LOCATION: FREDERICKSBURG, VIRGINIA_

"Thanks for the ride, Benny!" Tabby called as the cab drove off, waving. Behind her, Ray was groaning.

"That had to be one of the most embarrassing moments in my entire life," he stated dully.

Tabby turned to face him, smirking. "What? I just snagged us a free ride, that's all."

"You sat on the cab driver's lap and sang that Britney Spears song out the window! Do you have any idea how many people were staring at us? And are _still_ staring at us?!" He gestured to a small crowd of middle-school-aged kids standing on the curb on the other side of the street, laughing.

Tabby only grinned and gave them a deep bow. "Thank you! Thank you!" she cried, "I'm here 'till Wednesday!" She loved doing that. "C'mon, Mom's place is this way." She started walking down the sidewalk, with Ray trailing behind her. "You're really gonna like my Mom. Even though she's sick, she still volunteers and stuff. And you should see her room! It's so cool!" They turned a corner onto the walkway of the ‘Mary Washington Hospice’. Tabby waltzed up to the secretary desk and peeked over to see who was on duty today, but nobody was there.

"Tabitha Smith?" Tabby turned around, smiling at the sound of the familiar voice. Rachel MacLurcan was walking over, clipboard in hand and pen stuck behind her ear. "Is that really you?"

Tabby ran over and hugged her favourite secretary. "Hey, Rachel!" she greeted her, "God, I haven't seen you in ages!"

Rachel stepped back and looked Tabby over with her pale green eyes, crow's feet appearing as they crinkled in a smile. "Last time I saw you in here, you still had your braces on."

Tabby rolled her eyes. "Oh, please, don't remind me. I hated those things! It's impossible to make out with a guy with a whole bunch of wires on your teeth."

Rachel laughed. "You always were a bit of a wild child, ever since I met you." She glanced over Tabby's shoulder. "And who's this?"

Tabby looked over and saw Ray standing there uncomfortably. "Yo, Sparky!" she called, "Get over here!"

Ray grumbled as he ambled over. "I keep telling you guys not to call me that," he growled.

"Mr. Logan calls you that."

"Mr. Logan could rip my intestines out any time he wanted. Like I'm going to argue with him! Everyone else, on the other hand, is forbidden from using that nickname. Clear?"

Tabby smirked. "Yeah, yeah, whatever. Rachel, this is Ray Crisp. He goes to the Institute with me. Ray, this is Rachel MacLurcan. She's been working here for as long as I can remember. When I was five, she used to sneak me extra lollipops. You know, if I didn't snag 'em myself."

Ray stuck out his hand and Rachel shook it. "So, how long have you two been dating?" she asked.

Ray choked and Tabby threw her head back and laughed. "Are you serious?" she cried, "I haven't been seriously seeing someone since I was twelve!” And at twelve, the definition of a ‘serious’ relationship was hardly the same as one at the age of seventeen. “Ray's just a guy friend." Ray nodded his head up and down insistently.

"Oh, I see. Never mind, then. Your Mom will be so happy to see you again. She's been talking about it all day."

"Same room?"

"Honey, we haven't moved her since she first came here twelve years ago. You know the way."

"Alright. Thanks, Rachel." Tabby hugged Rachel again before heading for her mother's room. "Ray, c'mon already!"

* * *

_Saturday, February 14 th, 1998_

_Thirteen-year-old Tabby Smith kicked at the floor restlessly while she waited for Mom and Daddy to finish talking with the divorce lawyer. All these years of arguments over medical bills and the costs of big-screen TVs were finally coming to an end, and she had no idea what to think about it. On one hand, she was glad her parents wouldn't be screaming at each other all the time. On the other hand, however, this was the two people who'd created her going their separate ways, leaving her divided between the two of them._

_At the moment, they were discussing who would get primary custody over her. She was mostly torn between the two of them, but deep, deep inside, Tabby was hoping it would be Mom. She loved Daddy, she really did, but there was just something about him that scared her, and she wasn't quite sure what._

_The door to the lawyer's office opened, and Tabby snapped her head up as her parents came out, Mom leaning on her cane for support. "Well?" she asked nervously._

_Mom sat down in the chair next to Tabby and took her hand. "Tabitha, sweetie," she said softly, "You're going to be staying with your father. With all my medical bills and such, there's no way I'll be able to properly support you. Your Dad will be able to make sure you get fed every day, and get you into a good school."_

_"But I'll still be able to see you, right?"_

_"Of course, honey. You can come visit me at Mary Washington anytime." She gently kissed Tabby on the forehead. "Now, promise me you'll be a good girl for Daddy, alright?"_

_Tabby nodded, trying to hide the fact that her heart was breaking. "I promise."_

* * *

Mom's door still had the same wooden nameplate hanging on it that she'd carved and painted herself with her name: Amanda Smith. She was always good at working with her hands. Tabby knocked softly. "Mom?" she called, "It's me. I'm coming in." Slowly, she turned the door handle and peeked in. Mom was in her bed, her IV bag hanging next to her and a sketchbook in her lap.

She looked up, and Tabby saw tears form in her Mom's eyes. "Hey, baby," Mom whispered, holding her arms out. Tabby went all the way in and hugged her tightly. "I missed you."

"I missed you, too. How are you holding up?"

"Fine, sweetie. Just fine. Your Aunt Tanya sent me a gorgeous plant from India, and it just arrived today." She pointed at a potted plant with huge orange and magenta lilies. "Isn't it lovely?"

Tabby had to agree there. Storm would love to have flowers like that in her garden. Aunt Tanya was always sending amazing things from her trips around the world.

"Yeah, they're really cool. Oh, by the way, this is Ray. He's a friend from the Institute."

Mom shifted herself over to the side of her bed and patted the spot next to her. "Come on, Tabby, sit down and tell me how things have been going on your end."

Tabby sat next to Mom while Ray flopped down into a nearby chair. "Eh, it's been kinda quiet since Apocalypse was taken down. A couple news reporters came, and we got to at least get our side of the story out there."

"Yes, I saw that on the news. Who was the young woman with the red hair being interviewed?"

"Oh, that was Jean. Yeah, so I think some people kinda stopped hating us after that. You know, since we very well could've let Apocalypse turn all the humans into mutants, ‘cause the radiation or energy or whatever wouldn't have any effect on us, but we chose to save humanity. Then there were a few others who said we had some ulterior motive like wanting to enslave the human race, and that we only stopped Apocalypse ‘cause his plan would get in the way. I mean, who comes up with that kind of bullshit?"

"Tabitha Smith," her mother said in a warning tone.

Tabby shrugged that off. Mom would tell her off for her language, but she never actually did anything about it, especially as Tabby grew older. "Other than that, there hasn't been a whole lot of exciting stuff happening. Although I kinda wish I could've just gone back to the Brotherhood-"

"What?" Ray interrupted.

"Because old Wolvie's training sessions are seriously getting on my nerves. I mean, there's no big threat to mutants or humans, so why go on like we're preparing for war?"

"I know that, but do you wanna argue with the guy with razor-sharp blades popping out of his knuckles?"

"Dunno. I mean, I feel fine going up against the guy who throws lightning. Remember last week?"

"That was a total fluke! I had a robotic arm with a saw blade coming after me! You try dealing with that and an attack from another mutant."

"Whatever. I still won."

* * *

_Monday, May 29 th, 2000_

_"Stop it!" Tabby shouted at the small gang of boys from her school, "You leave them alone NOW!" Behind her, Adam and Carlos Vallejo from next door, aged ten and nine, clung to each other and whimpered from the pain of their bruises and scrapes. She'd spotted the older boys chucking rocks at them for laughs, and had immediately come to their defence. She generally believed that everyone should look after their own selves, but not when it came to kids who weren’t old enough to take care of themselves yet. Anyone who picked on a child was a dirty coward._

_The leader of the gang, Zach Rawlings, sneered at her. "Oh, yeah? What're ya gonna do 'bout it?"_

_Tabby snarled and picked up a handful of rocks from the ground. "How about a taste of your own medicine?" One by one, she began to hurl them at the four boys, who yelped and started running away. When Zach got out of her range, she stopped and turned to check on Adam and Carlos. "You two okay?" she asked. Adam nodded timidly while Carlos sniffed and clung more tightly to his big brother._

_"Bitch!" Tabby looked over to see Zach running back towards them. He was holding a much larger rock now, and was winding up to throw it at them._

_Tabby grit her teeth. She really couldn't stand Zach Rawlings, but now he was really making her mad. Her hand curled up into a fist, and she felt something hard and hot clenched inside. Huh. She'd thought she'd used up all her rocks._

_Even though she knew a small pebble would be useless against the chunk of stone in Zach's hand, it wasn't like she was gonna just stand there and do nothing! She wound up and threw her rock just as her opponent threw his. The two projectiles soared towards each other, one of them big, grey, and heavy; the other small, yellow, and glowing. Hang on – glowing? They collided, and suddenly there was a muffled_ _'bang', and a cloud of smoke. Tabby lifted her arms to shield herself from the flying fragments of Zach's stone._

_After a couple seconds, she peeked out, seeing shards of rock littering the ground and Zach standing there, dumbfounded. Did she just do that? That was... that was... kind of cool, actually. Tabby wondered if she could do it again. She clenched her fist and focused on it._

_Tabby gasped in slight surprise when she saw some kind of light shining out from between her fingers, then grinned. With a flick of her wrist, she tossed it in Zach's direction, and it exploded at his feet. The bully yelped and took off. "Freak!" he shouted._

* * *

"So... did you hear about Dad?" Tabby asked awkwardly. She didn't like talking about this in front of Ray, but everyone at the Institute and the Brotherhood knew her story. Well, the Brotherhood actually wasn't _supposed_ to know, but Pietro had overheard and immediately blabbed. Stupid Speedy. She was getting seriously annoyed about how he was always getting into her personal business. Okay, so she'd been the first one he'd told about his father, but that didn't mean she owed him or something! Granted, she would've told him about her family sooner or later herself. She figured if he could trust her, she could trust him. There was something in those blue eyes of his that hinted to more than just a huge ego and supermodel looks – no, Tabby, do not go down that road! She mentally whacked herself for getting caught up in that egomaniac's appearance.

"Yes, I did, honey," Mom responded, "I'm still just glad you weren't locked up with him. After everything he put you through, he got what he deserved."

* * *

_Friday, June 16 th, 2000_

_"Dad, are you sure about this?" Tabby asked nervously, "I mean, we could get caught. Do we really need to do this?"_

_Dad ignored her and pulled the truck into the back alley. "Come on, honey," he said, "Let's do this."_

_Tabby hesitantly followed him over to the back entrance of the electronics store. She really didn't like this. Sure, swiping extra lollipops from the secretary's desk and blasting free sodas out of vending machines once in a while was cool, but she didn't like the idea of taking it a step further to outright burglary. Ever since she'd told her father about what she could do, he'd been letting her in on what he was doing for his ‘second job’: breaking into places and selling what he stole._

_Dad tugged on the door, but it was locked. "Okay, Pumpkin, do your thing." Tabby took a deep breath and created one of the small, glowing objects she'd come to affectionately refer to as 'cherry bombs'. She slipped it into the keyhole and stepped back before willing it to explode, rendering the lock useless. Dad snickered and pushed his way past her and inside. Tabby hesitated, and then followed him in. There was no turning back now._

* * *

_Thursday, July 6 th, 2000_

_"It's okay, sweetie," Mom whispered to her softly, "It's okay."_

_Tabby just hugged her mother harder. After the electronics store, it'd been a restaurant. Then a jewellery store, and so on. Dad had gotten caught selling some of their 'merchandise' to some gang, when a whole load of cops had bust in on the deal. Tabby, who'd been dragged along for the ride, had been terrified out of her mind. Some of the gang members had guns, and the ringing of all those shots still echoed in her brain._

_Luckily for Tabitha, the judge had decided that since she was coerced into the whole operation, she wouldn’t be charged. Instead, she would be living with her mother while her father went to jail. The look on his face when he was being led into his cell was just plain scary. Now she knew why she'd been afraid of him._

_"I got a telephone call from a man who said he was from a school for people with special abilities, like yours. He said he could help you control these powers, and you'd be with people like you. What do you think? Would you like to go?"_

_Tabby sniffed and looked up at her mother. "Where is it?" she asked worriedly._

_"Bayville, New York."_

_"But... But it's so far away. I don't want to leave you."_

_"I know, honey, but I want you to think this over. All I want is what's best for you, and this sounds like a good opportunity. Just consider it, alright? Take as much time as you like."_

* * *

In the end, Tabby had chosen to go to the Institute, and she had to admit to herself that it was a change for the better.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so what'd you think? Read and Review please!
> 
> Coming on August 21st... Alex! Yes, I know we saw him discovering his powers, but I'm focusing more on the aftermath of 'The Cauldron'.


	6. Chapter 5: The Story of Alex 'Havoc' Masters

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, yes I am alive! I would've gotten this up earlier, but to be honest, this chapter gave me a huge headache.
> 
> Anyway, we already know how Alex discovered his powers - it was the season one finale, after all - but I thought I'd delve into the aftermath of that episode and what happened to him when mutants were exposed.
> 
> EDIT Oct 16, 2015: I have changed some of the characters' names in this chapter to Hawaiian ones. 'Pika', according to , is the Hawaiian form of 'Peter', as the character was originally named 'Pete'.
> 
> DISCLAIMER: I do not own XME or any of its characters. I do own Keoni, Gabby, Pika, and Marty.

_Sunday, March 10 th, 2002_

_LOCATION: HONOLULU, HAWAII_

"Whoo-hoo!" Jamie sang, "We're in Hawaii!"

Alex chuckled as his young travelling companion pressed his nose to the glass airplane window, whooping. The little dude sure was excited to be here. Apparently, he'd never gone on any family vacations, so the prospect of going to Hawaii, one of the ultimate vacation destinations, really had him hyped up. He'd already decided what kind of Hawaiian shirt he would buy, what different foods he wanted to try, and exactly which snacks he'd bring for a hike up to the volcanoes (Alex didn't have the heart to tell him that they probably wouldn't be going up there).

Alex just wanted to grab his board and hit the waves. He'd been surf-deprived for months now. One time, he and Roberto had tried to recreate a beach in the Danger Room, but an accident with all the sand and the water (not to mention the fact that they'd used the Professor's credit card to buy those materials) had gotten them in _huge_ trouble, so that was no longer an option. Besides, even though the Danger Room was big, there still wasn't a whole lot of room to surf in. And most of the local beaches had the worst waves ever. Alex was dying to finally get some wild, wet action.

It took them only a few minutes to spot Mom and Dad in the crowded airport. "Alex, honey!" Mom was calling, "Over here!" Alex pushed his way through the crowd, one hand gripping his suitcase, the other keeping a hold of Jamie's shirt so the little dude didn't get swept away in the wave of people. Mr. Logan would kill him if he lost the squirt. So would Kitty, and probably some of the others.

"Hey, Mom, Dad," Alex greeted his parents as he finally reached him. He hugged Mom and pulled away when she tried to kiss him on the cheek – really, he wasn't a little kid anymore! "Glad to be home. Oh, by the way, this is Jamie."

"Hi, Mr. and Mrs. Masters," Jamie chirped. "It's nice to meet you. Which beach are we going to first?"

Dad laughed at his enthusiasm, and Mom ruffled the little dude's hair, which he impatiently tried to fix right away.

"It's good to have you back, Alex," Dad told him, "Even if it's only for a couple days. You two have lunch yet?"

"No," Jamie replied.

Alex rolled his eyes. "Yeah, we have. They gave us some sandwiches on the plane."

"That wasn't food! Food is chocolate bars and chips, not rubber stuck between two pieces of bread!"

"It wasn't that bad!"

"Says you! You and Kurt can eat pretty much everything. The rest of us actually have standards for what we stick in our mouths."

They continued arguing all the way to the car. Mom finally broke them up by asking: "So, Jamie, is this your first time in Hawaii?"

"Uh-huh. I've been waiting for this trip forever!"

Alex was going to point out that they hadn't even known there would be a trip until that morning, but decided against it.

"How's that school been treating you, son?" Dad asked.

"Pretty good. Dealing with a roommate's a little tough, especially one with Ray's attitude, but he's pretty cool. Get this, though: he doesn't like the Beach Boys! Last time I tried playing their music in the room, he kept turning it off, and it would electrocute me every time I tried to turn it back on!"

"You could've just gotten your own CD player and a set of headphones," Jamie reminded him, "Never mess with a stereo owned by the guy with electricity powers."

"Yeah, yeah, I know. You'd think I'd learn by now. Although the stereo actually belongs to the Professor. Ray doesn't get any money of his own from home, remember? Not sure why, though."

"Well, he never goes home for vacation, and if you try to talk to him about it, he'll get all grumpy and change the subject. None of us really know that much about him."

"Wait, if he doesn't go home for vacations, then what's he gonna do when he and Tabby are done at her mom's place?"

Jamie shrugged. "Dunno. Maybe they'll spend the whole week there. Ray could've just been sent along with her because we shouldn't be travelling alone."

"Could be."

"Oh, the poor boy," Mom commented, "Maybe he could come and stay with us some time."

"I'll talk to him about it, although he usually stays at the school. Except I think one time he stayed with Roberto's family in Brazil for Christmas. Anyway, how've you guys been doing? Nobody's bugging you, are they?"

"Don't worry yourself about that, son," Dad reminded him, "We're doing just fine. Mostly we just miss having you bumming around the house. Man, things sure changed when you brought Scott to our door."

* * *

_Monday, May 15 th, 2000_

_"Alex!" Mom practically threw herself on him when he came through the doorway. "We were so worried! Where on Earth were you?" Behind her, Dad was sitting in his chair, a disapproving look on his face._

_"You should've called," he told Alex sternly._

_Alex rubbed the back of his head. "Yeah, I know, but it was all kind of sudden. Oh, by the way, this is my brother, Scott." He jerked his thumb over his shoulder._

_Dad dropped his newspaper._

_"It's a pretty long story. See, I was out surfing, and then this shark comes at me-"_

_"What?" Mom gasped, "Baby, are you hurt?"_

_"Mom, I'm fine! But the thing is... man, I'm not sure how to explain this."_

_Scott stepped further in. "There are people with a special gene, known as the X Gene. It causes special... abilities in those who possess it, which usually surface around the teen years. Those people are known as mutants, including me and Alex."_

_Mom looked a little dizzy. "Maybe you should sit down for the rest of this," he suggested. Mom nodded slowly and let him guide her over to the couch. Alex sat down next to her, then gestured at Scott, who was hovering near the door, to come in already. "So, yeah, I do have some special powers." He held up one hand and let some of the energy come out in a red aura. Mom and Dad both gasped. "I know, I know, it's creepy, but it saved my butt – and toasted the shark's. Scott's got his own powers, too. Show 'em, bro."_

_Scott shook his head and pushed his shades closer to his eyes. "Not a good idea. You know my powers aren't indoor-friendly."_

_Dad took a deep breath. "This is all very interesting, but that still doesn't explain anything about you. Alex's brother died in a plane crash years ago, along with his birth parents."_

_"No, that's not how it happened. I thought for years that **I** was the only survivor. But then this other mutant, Magneto, he's looking to start a war against humans and was looking for new recruits. He found Alex, and we tracked him down at the same time. Then we had a little issue with him on his outer space base, and that's why Alex was gone for so long."_

_Mom and Dad both looked extremely shocked. "Okay, I know this pretty big news, but believe me, it actually happened. You believe us, right?"_

* * *

"Good thing you guys did believe us," Alex commented, "For a second, I thought you were gonna stick me and Scott in the loony bin."

"I considered getting you some help," Dad admitted, "Then your hands started glowing, and I knew you had to be telling the truth."

* * *

"Whoa!" Jamie gasped at the seemingly endless expanse of sand stretching along the edge of the bright blue ocean. They'd quickly dumped most of their stuff at Alex's house, gathered up some food, and struck out for the beach, at the Squirt's insistence. "Sweet!" He jumped out and tore down towards the water, snorkel and fins already in hand.

Alex chuckled at the looks this got from some of the other vacationers. There was nothing more amusing than watching a kid's first trip to a Hawaiian beach. While Mom and Dad got to work setting up their stuff, Alex grabbed his surfboard and made a beeline towards the water, eager to finally hit the waves.

As he was halfway there, Alex's view of the ocean was suddenly blocked by Keoni Dorit. "What do you think you're doing here, Masters?" his old surfing rival growled, "Your kind aren't allowed on my beach."

Alex rolled his eyes. "Since when is this your beach?" he retorted.

Keoni scowled. "I'm the new lifeguard, mutant. And I don't allow inhuman freaks on my beach. So get lost before I call the cops on your ass!"

"Hey!" Alex looked past Keoni to see Jamie running up. "Alex, are you coming or what? The water's great!" He looked up at Keoni. "Hi, are you a friend of Alex? I'm Jamie. We go to the same school up in New York."

Keoni glared down at the little dude. "So you're one of those freaks, too?" he muttered, "I already said you're not welcome here, so leave!"

"Lay off, will ya?" The familiar voice came from Alex's right. He twisted his head and saw Marty Keola, Pika Aelan, and Gabby Yen, his best buddies since he first moved to the island. Gabby stood at the front of the pack, popping her gum and glaring at Keoni. "Being lifeguard doesn't make you king of the beach, dumbass."

Pika poked her shoulder. "Little kid alert," he whispered loudly.

"That's okay," Jamie told him, "I go to school in a mansion with a whole bunch of older kids from all over the world. I can swear in English, Spanish, Portuguese, German, Gaelic, and Chinese." He turned to address Alex for a second. "Just don't tell Mr. Logan or any of the other instructors."

"The point is," Marty continued where Gabby had left off, "You can't kick people off the beach because they're a little different. Seriously, we'll report it to Ekewaka, and you can bet he'll fire you." Ekewaka Halia was the head lifeguard, and definitely one of the people who were cool about the whole mutant thing.

Keoni paled at the threat, but continued to try and put up his 'tough guy' front. "Whatever," he scoffed, "Just don't cause any trouble, got it?"

"We won't if you don't," Alex replied scathingly. Keoni gave him one more glare before stalking away. Alex then turned back and grinned at his friends. "Thanks, dudes." Gabby coughed. "And dudette. Jamie, these are my best buds: Marty, Pkia, and Gabby."

"Hi!" Jamie greeted them cheerfully, "Thanks for sticking up for us!"

"No sweat," Pika replied, "We've been having to deal with ass- uh, jerks, like Dorit for ages. Marty actually once sat down with a whole family and completely changed their perspective on mutants when he told them about you. Heck, if it weren't for you, we'd probably have the same opinions as Dorit."

"Now there's a scary thought," Gabby added.

* * *

_Sunday, March 18 th, 2001_

_"Alex! Wake up, lazybones! You've gotta see this!" Alex moaned and buried his face deeper into the sofa cushion. "I know you're awake. You've got five seconds to get up before I kick you off the couch. Five... four... three-two-one!" Alex was suddenly doused with very cold water around his crotch._

_"Hey!" he shouted, sitting bolt upright. His shorts were now soaked in a way that made it look like he'd pissed himself._

_Gabby shrugged, set her now empty water pitcher on the coffee table, and plunked down next to him. "I had to get you up somehow. Check out what's on the news." She pointed at the TV, then chucked a cushion at Pika’s head because it was blocking the view._

_Alex couldn't believe his eyes as he watched the live footage playing out on the screen. According to the little subtitles on the bottom, there was a giant robot and a bunch of super-powered people fighting in the streets of Bayville, New York. It took a few seconds for his brain to connect the dots. He stared at the screen, searching desperately for his brother. He never saw Scott, but he did recognise Jean, Kitty, Kurt, Evan, Rogue, Storm, Mr. Logan, and even most of the Brotherhood Boys. What the hell was going on?_

_"That's so creepy!" Marty gasped, "To think, a bunch of people with freaky superpowers living in New York! And what if it's just not New York? They could be hiding out in other areas of the world, too!"_

_"Tell me about it," Gabby agreed, "Those freaks could be anywhere!"_

_Alex took offense to this. "We're not freaks!" he shouted._

_A strange silence filled the room, except for the TV._

_"'We'?" Gabby repeated._

_Alex took the remote from her and shut the news broadcast off. "Mutants. People with special powers because of a special gene. I have it, my brother has it, and it doesn't make us freaks. This expert, Professor Xavier, he says it’s a new evolution of the human race, and that pretty much everyone will have powers in a few hundred years or so."_

_Pika screwed up his face in thought as he processed this new information. "Just to be sure, you're not messing with us, right?"_

_"No way, dude. It's the real deal. My powers surfaced just last year. Accidentally toasted a shark that wanted to have me for lunch."_

_"A shark?" Gabby shrieked, "No way, that's gotta be a load of bull!"_

_"It's not. I can fire energy blasts from my hands. Got enough off to convince that big fish to look for dinner elsewhere. It hurts like hell afterwards, though. Here, look at this." He held up his head and demonstrated, like he did for Mom and Dad a year ago, by allowing the red aura to appear._

_Gabby's eyes nearly bugged out of her head. "Unreal!" Marty gasped. Pika silently mouth words that he apparently couldn't add sound to._

_"I know. Scared me half to death, and I was already freaked out about the shark. But it's not like we're automatically dangerous, or anything. We're just regular people with some not-so-regular abilities. Hell, the school Scott goes to is actually a school for, like, mutant superheroes, or something. I recognized a whole bunch of his friends on the news just now, **fighting for their lives**." He studied his friends' faces, a little worried. "You guys are okay with this, right? Seriously, people are going to be freaking out because they've got the wrong idea about this, but are you guys cool with it?"_

_He was practically holding his breath waiting for a response. Then Gabby finally shrugged and smirked. "Hey, I'm fine with that. Powers or not, you're still you, right?"_

_"So long as you don't try zapping us, I'm fine," Pika added. Marty nodded and gave him a thumbs-up._

_Alex breathed a sigh of relief. "Thanks, guys. I might have to hide out at home for a while, though, once people find out about me."_

_"Hey, my door's always open if you need to crash," Gabby offered, "But only if you agree to not eat all the food, got it?"_

_“Got it."_

* * *

"So, little dude," Gabby asked, "You up for some surfing lessons?"

Jamie, who'd only just noticed that she was wearing nothing but a skimpy, hot-pink bikini, nodded slowly. Alex couldn't help but smirk as she led him away by the hand.

"How long do you think before she realizes he's staring at her chest?" Marty whispered, "And who thinks she'll slap him?"

"I give it two minutes max, and no. She wouldn't hit an innocent little kid," Pika replied.

"He can swear in... how many languages did he say?"

Alex scratched his head. "Uh... let's see; English and Spanish for sure, then he learned Portuguese from Roberto, a little German from Kurt, a small bit of Scottish Gaelic from Rahne, and one Cantonese word from Jubilee. So that's six."

"Damn, even _I_ don't know that many curse words. No way does he fall into the 'innocent' category."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah, I loved creating Gabby's character. If I ever do another focus on Alex, I'm definitely using her.
> 
> Anyway, the next stop on our international tour of the world is Rio de Janeiro (I don't know if that's spelled right), Brazil. That's right, we're going to hit Roberto's home next! Wait for it September 11th!


	7. Chapter 6: The Story of Roberto 'Sunspot' da Costa

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! Okay, so I actually planned on releasing this on the fourth, a week before the original date, but then I got a little stuck, and tied up. School's back on, so I've got a whole a bunch of stuff that has to rank higher on my priority list. Still, here's the new chapter! And just so you know, I'm back to the updates every two weeks.
> 
> DISCLAIMER: I do not own XME or any of its characters. I own Maria, and Roberto's two teammates Davi and Luiz. They're not really significant characters, just some people who needed names filled in.

_Wednesday, March 13 th, 2002_

_LOCATION: RIO DE JANIERO, BRAZIL_

"Ah, home sweet home!" Roberto cried as he stepped out of the plane and into the bright Brazilian sunlight, "How I've missed you so!" He took a deep breath and paused for a moment, soaking up the warm energy gifted to him by the sun. In fact, he stood there until the man behind him poked him and told him to “get the fuck out of his way”. _Someone_ was in a bad mood. But Roberto wasn't going to let that bother him. He was home, and he had his favourite girl right by his side. How could he be upset?

"You seem glad to be home," Rahne remarked. Roberto couldn't help feeling a little bad, given her experience when they went to visit her home.

"You got that right. Sunshine, soccer games, and some of the best beaches ever! You and I are going to have the best three days together, trust me."

Rahne grinned and hooked her arm into his, shifting the handle of her suitcase into her other hand so that they could walk together properly. "I can't wait."

As soon as they managed to get themselves out of the crowded airport, Roberto led Rahne to a bus stop. There was only one vacant seat left, so he offered to let her have it.

"Nah, I've got a better idea. You sit down."

Roberto shrugged and did as he was told, and then was mildly surprised as she plopped herself down on his lap, to the amusement of the little kid a few seats down. "Comfy?" he asked playfully.

"You bet." She snuck a quick kiss on his cheek.

"Ugh, do you mind?" an all-too-familiar voice snapped, "Some of us just had breakfast."

Roberto looked over and saw Juliana Sandoval standing there, glaring at him and Rahne in disgust. Great. Just great. They'd only just arrived, and she had to spoil his happy fantasy. No, don't think that way, Roberto, he scolded himself, you came here to have fun and you are not going to let the likes of her ruin it. "Just ignore her," he whispered to Rahne, "No way is she ruining our vacation."

Unfortunately, Juliana was difficult to ignore, in more ways than one. Not only was she the kind of girl who made guys' heads turn as she walked by, but she wouldn't let you ignore her if you tried. She stalked over, stiletto high heels clicking on the pavement. "What are you doing here, da Costa?"

Roberto rolled his eyes. "Um... I live here? You remember that, right? We went to school together."

"I mean, why aren't you at that weird new school of yours?"

Rahne, ever trying to see the good in people, stuck out her hand. "Uh, hi," she greeted Juliana, "I'm Rahne Sinclair, Roberto's girlfriend. You two are old friends?"

Juliana sniffed. "Hardly." Her eyes travelled up and down the Scottish shape-shifter. "Figures you'd wind up with her," she stated, "She's just like you, isn't she? A freak?"

Rahne's expression grew annoyed, and she stood up. "What's your problem?" she asked irritably.

"Hey, the bus is here!" Roberto immediately picked up his bag and Rahne's with no problem (these were times when he _really_ loved his powers), took his girlfriend by the hand, and started pulling her towards the bus. "Come on, we don't want to be late!"

He was able to get Rahne on the bus before she could argue, and sat her down next to him near the back. "What was that all about?" Rahne asked, confused.

Roberto breathed a sigh of relief as he watched Juliana stalked away through the bus window. "Nothing. She's just a nasty girl who went to my school. I just didn't want her starting a fight."

"Oh." Rahne nodded understandingly. "All right, then. Let's just forget her."

He grinned. "Gladly."

* * *

_Sunday, June 4 th, 2000_

_"Good luck." Juliana gave him a peck on each cheek. "I'll be cheering for you."_

_Roberto watched as his girlfriend ran back to where Mom and Dad were sitting in the second row of the bleachers, then returned to his pre-game warm-up. Today was the state finals, and he and his team, the Thunderbolts, were facing their fiercest rival: the Dynamos. He was pumped and ready to take them on. Roberto didn't know why, but he had a feeling today would be a big day. The sun was shining, Maria and her squad were performing their little routines to perfection, and he felt fully energised and in top shape. This was the game he'd been training for all year long. The Dynamos were pretty rough competition, but even they weren't going to stop him; he just knew it. This year was their year to win._

_Roberto and his teammates took their spots on the field for the start of the game. The captains grudgingly shook hands, scowling at each other, the ref blew his whistle and tossed the ball into the air, and the game was on!_

_Davi Alves managed to take possession, ducking around one Dynamo before passing it to Luiz Cruz. He made it halfway to the other team's net before he was elbowed in the ribs by another Dynamo. The ref blew his whistle, declaring that the Thunderbolts get a penalty shot. Roberto stepped up to take it, and sent the ball whizzing past the goalie, scoring the first point of the game._

_Looking over to the sidelines, he could see his parents and Juliana up on their feet and cheering. He loved being right._

* * *

"Robbie!" Roberto steeled himself as his mom practically jumped at him to give him a hug. "How was your flight, _bebê_?" she asked him.

"Fine," he choked. Mom finally released him, only to give Rahne a huge hug.

"And you must be Rahne. Robbie's told us so much about you!"

"Nice to meet you, Mrs. da Costa," Rahne greeted her politely.

"Oh, call me Nina, please."

"Hey, _fedelho_." Roberto didn't even realise Maria was behind him until she messed up his hair and spoke up.

"Maria, cut it out!" he protested.

"Whatever. What, you can't be glad to see your big sister again?"

"Not like that, no. Rahne, this is my older sister Maria. Maria, my girlfriend Rahne."

"Hi." Maria gave Rahne a friendly wave. "So you're the girl my little brother's been raving about."

"Maria, don't," Roberto warned her.

Rahne just laughed. "Don't worry about it; Jamie hacks into your computer all the time; he told me about your gushy e-mails and stuff."

"What?!" Roberto cried, surprised, embarrassed, and a little ticked off, "That little runt is going to get it when we get back!"

"Easy, son." Dad was just coming out of the house. "You know I've talked to you enough about your temper."

"Relax, Dad, I'm just gonna get Forge to help me put a camera on my laptop so I can catch him in the act. What do you think will be his punishment, huh Rahne? Ten bucks says he'll have to wash all the uniforms for a week."

Rahne scrunched her face up in thought. "Depends on whoever you show it to. The Professor would probably just let him off with a serious warning, Mr. Logan would sentence him to extra Danger Room sessions, and all the other instructors would go with the uniform washing thing, or some other terrible chore."

"How about we all catch up inside?" Mom suggested, "As soon as I heard you were coming, I baked some fresh cookies."

"Sweet!" Roberto exclaimed. Mom babied him a bit, but anything she cooked was the best, especially cookies. He took Rahne by the hand and pulled her behind him as he ran inside. "Come on, I'll give you a tour."

"Hey!" Maria called from outside, "I'm not bringing these bags in! Get back out here!"

* * *

"Mmm! These are scrumptious!" Rahne declared.

"I'm glad you like them," Mom said, "If you like, we were in the middle of watching some home movies. Want to join us?"

Roberto groaned inwardly. "Sure!" his girlfriend eagerly agreed. Before he knew it, Roberto was on the sofa in the living room, watching an old video of Maria and her cheerleading squad last year.

It wasn't until he took a look at what was happening on the field that he realised which game this was. _‘Oh boy,’_ he thought, ‘ _It's **that** game, isn't it?’_

* * *

_The score was tied, 3-3, with only twenty seconds left on the clock. Roberto sprinted past his opponents, who were starting to tire out after such a long play, while he was still full of energy. The goal was in his sight. He was going to make it. He'd score the winning point and claim victory for his team._

_At least, that was what he was thinking right before one of the Dynamos launched himself at Roberto, knocking him to the grass. Another one landed on top of him, followed by another. Roberto soon found himself trapped under at least half a dozen guys, struggling to breathe as all their weight compressed down on his chest. He could barely move, and was quickly starting to panic when the pressure didn't ease off. He had to get out... he needed to breathe..._

_Desperate, Roberto pushed on the ground and managed to shove himself upward, and felt the other guys easily fall off him. At first, there was a moment of relief, then the screaming started, and Roberto caught a glimpse of his hands._

_They had inexplicably turned jet black, mere silhouettes against the freaky fiery aura that surrounded them. When he looked even closer Roberto realised that it wasn't just his hands; the same thing had happened to his entire body. He gasped, and then joined in with the screaming. "AAAGGGHHH!"_

* * *

"Hang on!" Rahne insisted, "Pause it there!" Dad paused the video, right at the moment where Juliana had been giving Roberto his good luck kisses. "That's the girl we saw at the bus stop!" She turned to Roberto. "You never mentioned she was your girlfriend."

"Who? Juliana Sandoval?" Maria interrupted, "Oh, forget about that _cadela_."

"Maria," Dad scolded her, "Remember what we said about cursing in this house?"

"Whatever. If it's about offending our guest, I'm sure she doesn't know what I said, anyway."

"Actually, I do," Rahne replied, "Every time someone comes into the Institute with a new language, it takes only about a week for all the other students to learn how to swear in it. It confuses the teachers at school. But that's not my point. Why didn't you tell me about her?"

Roberto bit his lip. "She's just a piece of bad history, and I didn't want to ruin our vacation by bringing up an ex. Besides, that was actually the last time she even touched me; just wait till the end of the game, you'll see."

* * *

_Roberto panicked, seeing all the players, both the Dynamos and his own teammates, scrambling away from him. He had to get out of here. He dashed away from the field, towards the old abandoned art building. Skidding to a stop once he was far enough away, Roberto slumped down against the wall, panting._

_He held up his hands in front of his face, staring at him. What the hell was happening? He suddenly felt very tired, now that he was in the shade. Slowly, the orange glow faded, and his hand returned to normal._

_"Roberto!" He heard his name being called, and jumped up. He peeked around the side of the building and saw Maria and Juliana heading over to his hiding spot. "Come on,_ fedelho _, where'd you go?"_

_His sister's use of her favourite nickname for him convinced Roberto it was safe, so he stepped halfway into view. "Over here."_

_Maria immediately ran over and hugged him. "We've got to get you home," she said hurriedly, "People are freaking out back there."_

_"They're not the only ones," Roberto answered shakily, "What the hell was that?"_

_"I don't know, but now's not the time to try and figure it out. Not here." She glanced over her shoulder. "Any second now, those Dynamo lugs are going to get over their shock and come after you; it's not safe here. Mom and Dad have gone to get the car, and we can sneak around to the parking lot."_

_"Okay." Roberto looked over at Juliana, who hadn't moved a step. "Are you coming?" he asked her, starting to walk over._

_Juliana took three steps back, grabbing a rock off the ground. "Back off, freak!" she cried, "Don't touch me!"_

_Roberto stared at her in shock. "But... Juliana? It's still me."_

_"I said keep your distance, you monster!" She whipped the stone at him, striking his left shoulder, before turning and running. "IT'S HERE!" she shouted, "SOMEONE GET IT!"_

_Roberto couldn't move, purely out of shock, until Maria grabbed the back of his jersey and pulled him in the opposite direction. "Let's go!" she insisted._

* * *

Roberto stood up abruptly when he realised they were getting close to the dogpile in the video. "I'll get some sodas," he mumbled, and wandered off towards the kitchen.

He took his time rifling through the fridge and picking out drinks for everyone. Slightly muted screams came from the living room, and he knew they'd reached the part where his powers showed up. Eventually, he couldn't drag it out any longer, and grabbed the cans and shut the fridge door.

Roberto was a little surprised to see Rahne standing by the door. "You okay?" she asked softly, "I saw what happened. Your parents apparently got it mixed up with a different game and didn’t realise we were watching that one."

He shrugged. "Yeah, I guess. I just don't like reliving that moment. I mean, it was pretty much the scariest one in my life. Okay, maybe it could rank second to the battle with Apocalypse, but that's it."

He handed Rahne can of root beer – her favourite – and she accepted it quietly. "Juliana didn't take it so well, did she?" She popped it open and took a sip.

"If you consider calling me a freak and a monster and throwing a rock at me taking it well, then I guess you could say she did take it well. But the point is, she's in the past now. It only bugs me when she pops back into my life."

Rahne set her root beer down on the counter and moved closer to him. "Well, she won't be popping in anymore," she declared, "And if she does, I'll pop her back out."

Roberto raised an eyebrow. "Huh. I've known you for quite a while, and you still managed to surprise me every now and then."

"Here's another one." She wrapped her arms around his neck and started kissing him passionately. Roberto gladly returned it, enjoying the bliss of having his wolf girl in his arms.

"Hey, _fedelho_!" Maria called, entering the kitchen, "You got those drinks or – geez, get a room, would you?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, I really hope you liked it. BTW, Maria's nickname for Roberto translates to 'brat', and she called Juliana a bitch. Which is totally bang-on.
> 
> This is a little different from the comic version (at least, according to Wikipedia). Originally, Roberto gets attacked because some of the Dynamos are racist (fun fact: Roberto is Afro-Brazillian), and his girlfriend sticks with him. What-ever! He's got Rahne now, and that's all he needs!
> 
> Coming up on the 18th (I hope - fingers crossed): Amara! See you then!


	8. Chapter 7: The Story of Amara 'Magma' Aquilla

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am sorry I'm late in updating! You have know idea how much of a headache this chapter gave me! Anyway, you can expect the next chapter (which was supposed to be up two days ago) in the next few days.
> 
> DISCLAIMER: I do not own XME. I own all the people who work for Amara's family.

_Wednesday, March 13 th, 2002_

_LOCATION: NOVA ROMA_

The small airplane landed with a hard bump on the runway, jolting the pilot and his two passengers inside. Amara knew that Konstantinos didn't have much training in flying a plane, but she was pretty sure Jamie could've done a better job. One major disadvantage of being in a country that was just starting to modernise: there weren't a lot of well-trained pilots.

Sam rubbed his head where he'd bumped it on the back of Konstantinos's seat. "Ow. Man, I think Bobby could've done that landing better."

Amara raised an eyebrow sceptically. "Bobby? _Our_ Bobby Drake? Have you _been_ in the flight simulator when he's at the controls?"

"Yeah, and I remember he was the one flying the Blackbird when we took it out for a joyride, and we got off relatively unscathed."

"Didn't Kitty do the landing part, though?"

"Okay, you've made your point. Nobody can fly a plane worse than Bobby. But you gotta admit, this guy's not exactly an expert, either."

Amara giggled. "Shh! He'll hear you!"

Konstantinos opened the plane door and bowed before helping Amara out. Sam only got a stiff nod. They were ushered into an old-fashioned limousine, which started driving them towards the palace. Amara was glad to see that the driver was Nikolas, who'd been working for her family since before she was born. "How has your stay been, Princess?" he asked politely.

"Great, as usual," she replied, "I mean, there was an incident with the shower heads, thanks to Bobby and Jamie, but besides that and the Apocalypse battle, nothing all that unusual."

"Yes, I heard about that. Are you sure you're all right, Princess?"

"Absolutely. Only a few bumps and bruises, nothing to be concerned about. Oh, by the way, this is Sam Guthrie."

"Yes, we were informed you'd be bringing a guest."

"Well, that'll make explaining him to my parents a bit easier. Father might still be a little upset that my guest is a guy, though. He is so overprotective."

"Indeed, I will admit that, so long as you do not tell him I said that."

Amara laughed. "You know I won't tell him anything, Nikolas."

She rarely told her father anything. Even when she'd been struck with that mysterious fever, she'd never complained or mentioned that she felt sick. Of course, he'd found out when she'd fainted in the middle of lunch…

* * *

_Wednesday, August 9 th, 2000_

_"Princess?" Amara moaned and slowly opened her eyes. At first, her vision was blurred, but then it cleared up, revealing Zoe, her handmaiden. "Princess, please answer me. Are you alright?"_

_Amara tried to speak, but her throat was too dry to make a sound. She wondered what she was doing there. The last thing she remembered was sitting down to lunch, trying to hide the fact that she was so dizzy she could barely stand straight and her vision kept going in and out of focus._

_"What..." she managed to croak. She felt a cold hand press against her forehead, and saw that Mother was over beside her, looking worried. "Mother, what happened?"_

_"I don't know, Amara. You just fainted at the dinner table. Honey, why didn't you tell us you weren't feeling well?"_

_Amara coughed. The action only made the burning pain in her throat even worse. "I didn't want to worry you. Father has that international conference coming up, he doesn't need any more problems to deal with."_

_Mother sighed. "My dear, you are the most important thing in your father's life. If anything were to happen to you, you know that he would drop anything he was doing and try and help."_

_Amara glanced around the room. Zoe was there, and so was Chara, her nurse, along with a few other servants whose names she never bothered to learn. But her father was not there. "Then where is he?"_

_Mother looked down at the floor. "He had to discuss some issues with the foreign advisor. He will be here as soon as he is finished."_

_Amara sighed. Of course he was busy. Running Nova Roma always took priority over her. Sure, he was in charge of a whole country, and that was a heavy burden to bear, but couldn't he ever take some time off from being a king to just be a father?_

* * *

Amara took a deep, shaky breath. "I hope this goes well."

Sam grinned and put his arm around her. "I'm sure it'll be fine. We're just going to meet your mom and dad. What's there to worry about?"

"Sam, you don't understand. My father is very strict; I'm worried about how react to, you know, us."

His smile dropped. "What, you didn't tell him?"

"I tried to bring it up, but every time I did, he would have to go take care of some important business. Whenever I come back home to visit, he'd only say hello to me when I'd first show up, and then I'd barely see him again. The only one here I've ever told about you is Zoe."

"Who?"

"My personal handmaiden, and pretty much the only girl close to my age in this place. I tell her everything, and she keeps all my secrets. Even my mother doesn't know yet, because she'd tell Father. I don't know how he'd react to me having a boyfriend. I mean, I don’t think he ever dated any girls when he was younger; I’m pretty sure my grandparents just set him up with my mother, and that was it. The idea in this country is that children under the age of twenty can't decide anything for themselves. It's so old-fashioned, I know, but this place doesn't have a lot of contact with the rest of the world. Father _is_ trying to modernise the country a bit, but I'm just not sure if he'll accept this."

Sam took her hand and kissed it softly. "Don't worry about it," he assured her, "Like I said before, it'll be fine."

Amara smiled slightly. Sam always knew how to make her feel better. "All right. Let's get this over with."

Still holding hands, the two of them followed the fancy red carpet to the big double doors that led to the dining room. They'd eaten already, but Mother and Father always had their dinner at six o'clock sharp.

A servant pushed open the doors and Alexandros, whose only job seemed to be announcing people and things, went in first. "The lovely Princess Amara and her guest, Mr. Samuel Guthrie." Amara stepped in after Alexandros, and saw her parents, all dressed up as usual, sitting together at the very end of the long table. Mother smiled as soon as they made eye contact. Father looked a little confused and suspicious. No doubt it was because Alexandros had just announced that her guest was a guy.

Still, Amara pretended not to notice and went over to Mother. Mother happily gave her a warm hug. "Hello, dear," she greeted her, "How are things?"

"Just fine, Mother," Amara replied breezily. It was so easy to talk to Mother; her warm and non-judgemental nature made her an ideal confidante, except for the fact that she would tell Father everything he asked about. For that reason, Amara couldn't risk telling her about her relationship with Sam, at least in the past. Now Father was going to know as well anyway, so there was really no point in trying to hide it.

Mother peered around Amara to look at Sam. "So this is your friend?" She stood up and shook his hand. Mother was never one for the old rituals of proper etiquette. Amara knew it was one of the things that her father liked about her mother. "It's very nice to meet you, Samuel. You probably know already, but I'm Amara's mother, Daphne." Sam tried to do a short bow, but Mother stopped him. "It's fine, all those formalities aren't needed here."

Sam rubbed the back of his neck. "Oh. Okay."

"Please, have a seat." Amara grinned at Sam and sat down next to Mother, while her boyfriend made himself somewhat comfortable on her other side.

Amara then shifted her gaze over to Father. "Hello, Father," she said, doing her best to hide her worry, "How have you been?"

Father's eyes snapped away from Sam, whom he'd been staring at somewhat suspiciously. "Oh, just fine, dear," he replied, as if he hadn't been expecting her to speak to him, "The country is relatively peaceful, the economy is fine."

Amara sighed inside. Of course his main focus was his duties, even when it was supposed to be a family moment. For once, she wished, couldn't he simply forget about all his responsibilities to the country, even just for one night, and pay a little more attention to his responsibilities as a member of their family? "That's wonderful, Father," she mumbled, badly faking enthusiasm. Mother looked at her sideways, a knowing expression in her eyes. She knew Amara was upset; Mother could always tell.

"So, Samuel, how is your experience at the Institute?" Mother asked politely after ten minutes of awkward silence, aside from the sounds of silverware clinking against their plates as they ate.

"Call me Sam. And it's been pretty good. 'Bout just as crazy as my life back home, so there's not much change in that department."

"Sam's got eight younger brothers and sisters," Amara explained, "So the huge crowd at the Institute wasn't hard for him to adjust to."

Mother raised her eyebrows. "Eight siblings?" she gasped, "How do your parents manage all those children?" Amara had four aunts and an uncle on Mother's side of the family, so she found this question to be a bit odd.

Sam shrugged. "Well, my dad actually died a few years back, but I've been taking care of stuff; you know, working, helping the younger ones with homework, stuff like that. And Paige and Jay – that's the two oldest, after me – they can take care of themselves and everyone else. Not to mention we've got our farm, so everybody's always got something to keep them busy."

"A farm? Well, that sounds interesting. I grew up on one myself. I really miss it."

"Really? Cool."

Amara smiled. At least Mother certainly liked Sam. She glanced over at Father, who was now focused only on his food. "Um... Father? Mother?" she said, "There's something you should know about Sam and I." She took a deep breath. "We're dating."

Father's fork froze over his plate. Mother simply smiled. "I could tell the second you walked in," she stated, "You two are so cute together."

Father, on the other hand, coughed and stood up. "I need to discuss something with the head maid," he muttered, "So you'll have to excuse me." He quickly swept out of the room, not even looking at them.

Amara sighed and put her head down on the table. "He's not happy," she stated, "I knew it." Mother rubbed her shoulder in what was intended to be a comforting gesture, but Amara didn't feel any better. "I knew it."

* * *

_"Mother… Mama, it's so hot…" Amara moaned, "Why won't it stop?"_

_"I don't know, honey," Mother replied worriedly, "But the doctor will be here soon." She muttered to herself, probably not knowing that Amara could hear her: "Why is he taking so long?"_

_Amara felt like her skin was on fire. The heat just kept building and building. The servants had stripped her down to her undergarments, opened all the windows, and practically soaked her with ice-water rags. But nothing helped at all._

_Suddenly, Mother screamed and jumped up. "AMARA!" she screeched. Chara, Zoe, and all the other servants screamed as well, and ran to get the water buckets. Amara didn't understand what all the panic was about, until she saw the lick of flame by her hand. She gasped and tried to pull her hand away, but found that the fire followed. It was then that she discovered that the flame wasn't **near** her hand; it was coming **from** her hand!_

_She screamed as well, terrified, as the blaze spread and engulfed her entire body._

* * *

Amara stood up. "I'm going to talk to him," she announced. Mother nodded worriedly, and Sam gave her a squeeze of the hand and a quick kiss on the cheek. Then she followed Father out of the room.

He wasn't hard to catch up with; Amara found him standing in front of their family portrait. He showed no indication that he noticed her, but he spoke when she was almost right next to him. "Do you know why I married your mother?" he asked.

Amara hadn't been expecting that question at all. "What?"

"Do you know why I married your mother?"

"Uh... no, not really. Where are you going with this?"

"Your grandfather, when I turned thirteen, engaged me to a young woman from a noble family. But while I was once on a trip in the country, I met a farm girl my age and we fell in love. My father was enraged; he threatened to disown me if I went against his wishes. You see, he had no interest in modernization. He was perfectly content to keep our country in complete isolation, whereas I had the opposite view; I was done with the old ways. I wanted to marry the peasant girl and I did, after he died. And when you were born, I swore that I would never force you to marry someone you didn't love. But I never imagined the moment would come so soon that you would find a man. My little girl is growing up."

Amara blushed. "Father, what are you trying to say?"

"I'm trying to say that... I never realised how much you were growing up until today. I barely see you any more, and when you come home for visits, we only speak perhaps once. You've grown up so much since you first got your powers, and I never saw it. You aren't the same young pampered princess who set off to America all anxious and frightened."

* * *

_Saturday, Aug 12 th, 2000_

_Amara looked over her shoulder before she went up the ramp to the big, flying metal machine. Mother and Father were watching her, Mother wiping her eyes with a handkerchief. She couldn't believe she was actually leaving home. She'd barely even ventured out of the palace; and now she was going away to some strange other country. She had certainly heard of America, since Father often mentioned looking to them for foreign investments to help with the industrialisation. But while she could certainly locate the country on a map, she had no clue where this 'Bayville' city was. All she knew was that she'd be going away to some special school there to learn how to control these freaky powers of hers._

_The tall, redheaded girl, who'd been introduced as Jean, put a friendly hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry," she assured Amara, "You'll be back for vacations, and you can write letters home all the time. We'll make sure you and your family can stay in contact."_

_Amara gave her a shaky smile. "Thank you," she mumbled._

* * *

"And then Bobby fell over and Scott and Jean realised it wasn't actually Bobby, but an ice sculpture he made to cut class! They were _so_ mad!"

Sam was snorting into his water glass as Amara retold the story of Scott and Jean's first attempt at teaching a class. Mother was giggling into her napkin, and even Father cracked a grin. This was the first time her family had even had a meal together like this. Smiles, laughter, it was so nice to share those with her mother and father. It was a lot like the dinners Sam's family shared together. Amara was glad she could finally have that with her own.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter: Jubilee! Then Jamie, and TWO chapters of Ray! :):):):):):):):):):):):)


	9. Chapter 8: Jubilation 'Jubilee' Lee

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! I got this up as fast as I could! Only a few more chapters left!
> 
> DISCLAIMER: I do not own XME or any of its characters. I own Jubes' parents, her friends, Narvy, and Ortiz.

_Wednesday, March 13 th, 2002_

_LOCATION: Beverly Hills, California_

"Bobby! Give me the salt, already!" Jubilee grabbed for the salt shaker that her boyfriend was holding just out of her reach.

Grinning, Bobby handed it to her. "C'mon, Jubes. I was just teasing."

"Very funny, especially in front of my parents."

Dad and Fran, Jubilee's stepmother, just watched them with amused smiles from across the table. Jubilee frowned at Bobby and sprinkled the salt on her mashed potatoes. Or at least, what was supposed to be mashed potatoes. If she didn't know any better, she would've thought Kitty had made the yellow gunk that was now sitting on her plate. But nope, it was her dad's creation. It wasn't that he was a terrible cook; he just liked to experiment. When he tried to go by the recipe, it always turned out perfect. He just liked to try new combinations, which usually didn't work out so well. Thankfully, while these potatoes were an unnatural yellow colour, they tasted fine.

"So what are you kids planning to do all week?" Fran asked.

Jubilee shrugged. "I dunno. We're probably just going to hang out around here most of the time."

"Don't be silly, dear. You really should get out more. I know! Why don't you go hang out at the mall like you used to do all the time?"

"Fran, we've been over this before. Everyone hates us; going out in public will just make us walking targets."

Fran's face grew stern. "Jubilation Lee, you've been spending far too much time indoors. You and Bobby are going to the mall and just try to enjoy yourselves."

Enjoy themselves... it'd been a while since she'd had fun there.

* * *

_Monday, August 14 th, 2000_

_"What do you think of these?" Jubilee held up a pair of goofy pink sunglasses to her face and stuck out her tongue. Her best friends, Katie and Leanne, laughed. Katie was sporting a neon-green fuzzy top hat while Leanne, the shyer of the three, took pictures of them in whatever crazy accessories they could find in the costume shop._

_"Ooh, I've got just the thing!" Katie cried, running over to a bin and pulling out an electric blue bob wig. Grinning, Jubilee snatched the digital camera out of Leanne's hands while Katie forced the wig onto her head. Jubilee was quick to snap a picture before Leanne could rip the wig off or hide her face with her hands. "That looks awesome on you Lee-Lee!"_

_Leanne tugged the wig off. "You guys!" she complained._

_Jubilee and Katie laughed and looked over some of the other pictures. "Ooh, this would be perfect for your profile!" Katie stated, indicating one snapshot where Jubilee was fooling around with a purple feather boa._

_"If you girls aren't going to buy anything," a gruff voice interrupted, "I suggest you move along and stop bothering the customers."_

* * *

Jubilee felt like everyone was staring at them as they walked through the main doors. It was so disconcerting, even worse then her first day back at her old school. It had gotten so bad – all the threats, the teasing, the pure hatred – that she'd been home-schooled for eight months before her parents let her go back to the Institute, where at least she had some friends.

Bobby, on the other hand, was ignoring it all. "Come on, Jubes, just forget about them. Let's just relax and have some fun, like your stepmom said. You mentioned there was an arcade here, right?"

She sighed. "They won't let me in. When the whole mutant thing got out, some kids started harassing me while I was trying to play the pinball game, and I freaked a little and shorted it out."

"Oh. Okay, well... what else is there to do around here?"

"My friends and I used to go to this crazy costume store and take pictures of ourselves with these weird outfits on."

"Sounds fun."

"Well, it wasn't so fun the last time we did it..."

"And what do you think you're doing here, Lee?" Jubilee gulped when she saw Officer Narvy stalking over to them with his jiggling gut and greased back grey hair and moustache.

"Nothing, sir," she responded meekly, "We're just here to do some shopping."

"'We'? Who's this, then?"

"Um... this is my boyfriend, Bobby. He's from New York."

"Another mutant, eh? Well, just so you know, I've got my eyes on you two. Any sign of trouble, and you're out of here."

Bobby held up his hands in a defensive gesture. "Okay, okay," he said, "We got it, you've got your eyes on us. C'mon, let's go, Jubes. I'll buy you a snack." They both hurried off in the direction of the food court. "Friend of yours?" Bobby asked as soon as they were out of hearing range.

Jubilee sighed. "Hardly. He's the head mall cop, and he loves harassing teenagers. I'm just his favorite target."

* * *

_"Last I checked, Mall Cop, browsing isn't legally considered loitering," Katie snapped, always ready with a witty retort._

_"We're not doing anything illegal," Leanne added._

_"And how exactly are we bothering any other customers?" Jubilee challenged, crossing her arms, “There’s barely anyone else in here, and it’s not like we’re yelling or making a mess.”_

_"I've told you girls already, if you're not buying something, then you're up to no good. You teenagers are all the same. Take notes on this, Ortiz." Only then did the girls notice a younger security guard was with him._

_"Ooh, Police Academy Dropout’s got some backup now," Katie whispered._

_"Yeah," Jubilee agreed, "Cute backup." 'Officer' Ortiz was in his mid-twenties, at the oldest, and looked like he could get a job as a male model. He caught Jubilee's eye and grinned, and she tossed a wink back._

_"Focus, soldier!" Narvy snapped, "If you girls don't co-operate, we'll have no choice but to bring you in."_

_The three girls exchanged glances. "SCATTER!" Katie shouted. They dashed off in three different directions, Leanne doubling back for just a second to place the wig back in the proper bin, while Jubilee and Katie just dropped their items on the floor._

_Jubilee skirted around several shoppers and one baby carriage on her way to the service entrance by the food court. Looking over her shoulder, she saw Leanne's blonde curls disappearing into a hardware store, while Katie tore up the nearest escalator. Narvy was going after Katie, his least favourite, but was having a difficult time keeping up with the track star. Officer Ortiz was nowhere to be seen._

_Grinning, she made it to the door and pushed it open, heading for the back entrance where they would meet up._

_But when she rounded a corner, she crashed into another person and fell on her butt. "Ouch!" she cried, "Why don't you watch where you're..." She looked up and saw that it was Ortiz. "Oh, snap." She tried to crawl away, but he only smiled and offered her his hand._

_"Relax," he said, "I'm not going to turn you in. You weren't really doing anything wrong, and I've never seen anyone stand up to Narvy like that."_

_Jubilee grinned and let him help her up. "Thanks. By the way, I'm Jubilation Lee, but everyone calls me Jubilee."_

_"Jubilee. Cool name." He still hadn't let go of her hand._

_"Well, it's nice meeting you, but I've gotta meet up with my friends." She tried to walk away, but he kept an iron grip on her wrist. "Uh, you can let go now." Now she was getting the feeling that something was wrong._

* * *

"So that old geezer's been here how long?" Bobby asked.

Jubilee shrugged. "No clue. My mom remembers him starting out when she was my age." She took another sip of her jumbo smoothie.

"Wow, and I thought the history teacher at Bayville was old." They both laughed, and Jubilee was finally starting to feel relaxed again.

"Hey, I know this cool video store one floor up. I wanna see if they have that new surf movie out." She started pulling him towards the escalator, but bumped into someone. "Oh, sorry! I-"

It was Katie, with Leanne right next to her. "Jubilee?" Leanne gasped.

"Oh. Hey, guys. Nice to see you again?" Jubilee chewed her lip. They hadn't really spoken since word of her powers had gotten out. She'd even lied to them about the time her powers had first showed up...

* * *

_"You don't think I'm going to do you a favor without expecting something in return, do you?" Ortiz had her pinned up against the wall, his fingers creeping up her shirt. "Come on, I know you want it as much as I do. This'll be fun for the both of us."_

_Jubilee slapped him, but he growled and hit her back. "Get off of me!" she whimpered. She didn't have the strength to yell; all her energy was devoted to trying to get herself free._

_He wouldn't get off, though, and his right hand was now moving towards the zipper of her jeans._

_Suddenly, she mustered up the strength to hit him again, only this time, there was also a flash of colourful light, and Ortiz was inexplicably launched backwards, causing him to crash into a nearby dumpster. Jubilee stood frozen in shock for a second, then bolted out of there._

_Everything was a blur as she ran on autopilot. It wasn't until someone else caught her that she realised she'd reached the rendezvous point, and Katie and Leanne were there, grinning at her._

_"Whoa, girl!" Katie cried, "Where's the fire? Rent-A-Cop's still searching somewhere in the electronics store."_

_Jubilee gasped and threw herself into Katie, sobbing into her friend's shoulder. "What's wrong?" Leanne asked, now clearly worried._

* * *

"Um... we'd better get going," Leanne mumbled to Katie, "Mom wants me back home in an hour for supper." They both started walking away, but Leanne glanced back and gave a small wave. "'Bye, Jubilee."

Bobby put an arm around her. "Those are your friends?"

Jubilee nodded. "I guess. They're not exactly hostile to me, but... I really don't know what they think. I know Katie was pretty upset when she learned that I chucked a handful of plasma at that scumbag instead of simply punching him like I told her."

"What scumbag?"

"He was a new mall cop cadet, or something. We were running from Narvy after he was harassing us, and Ortiz caught me outside. At first, he seemed nice, but then he went all creepy and pushed me up against the wall, and..." She trailed off when she recognised the expression on Bobby's face. "He didn't really do anything; I didn't give him a chance to."

Bobby frowned. "What I wouldn't give for two minutes alone with that creep," he growled.

"Honey, forget it. He's in prison for it now; it was actually the one time Narvy was on my side. All that is in the past. Can't we just focus on the now?"

Her boyfriend eventually smirked. "Sure. Like right now, I really feel like doing this." Then he leaned over and kissed her firmly on the lips.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aw...
> 
> I kinda based Narvy off Ron the rent-a-cop from 6teen.
> 
> Anyway, Jamie's up next! I'm hoping to be back on schedule and post his chapter this Saturday.


	10. Chapter 9: The Story of Jamie 'Multiple' Madrox

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! Okay, so I know I promised this would be up last week, but I was at a hotel with no internet on my laptop. So, I'm putting this and the prologue of my Twilight fic 'Miriam' (which was supposed to be up on the 14th) up today, and then Ray's chapter part 1 - along with the next chap of Miriam - will go up sometime this week! I hope. So you'll get back-to-back updates! :)
> 
> The physical descriptions of Jamie's Aunt and Uncle are kind of designed based on my own aunt and uncle, only more exaggerated. My aunt's not as short and plump as Peg, but you do NOT want to sit next to her at my brother's hockey games. You'll be deaf in one ear for an hour or so, maybe even longer if the refs are doing a crappy jobs and ignoring the most obvious fouls. I'm not much of a hockey fan (in fact, I'm not sure if they're even CALLED fouls), but even I get mad when that happens, and that's saying something.
> 
> DISCLAIMER: I do not own XME or any of its characters. I only do in my dreams. I own Jason, Aunt Peg, Uncle Lee, the Coach, and the bullies.

_Friday, June 23 rd, 2000_

_LOCATION: LOS ALAMOS, NEW MEXICO_

_"Jason, duck!" Jamie breathed a sigh of relief as his best friend hit the deck just in time. Not one, but two balls of doom zinged over his head. They were in the middle of every kind-of-wimpy, picked-on kid's worst nightmare: dodgeball. It was the two of them and the rest of the comic book club versus all the athletes and tough kids. Coach St. John sure had a sick sense of humour, especially since this was aalready a mixed class between the grade-schoolers and the middle-schoolers_

_He nearly got hit in the face with another ball, and saw Steve on the opposite end of the dividing line, jeering at him. The rest of his gang still had their balls, and had started to wind up._

_Steve and his group of thugs ruled the playground with fear. They spent every recess and lunch period prowling around, looking for frightened kids to harass, and Jamie and Jason were among their favourite victims._

_The leader, Steve, was an eight-grader who’d been held back one year. He made all the decisions all by himself: where to eat, when to get up and start hunting, which kid to go after..._

_His girlfriend Lisa was the tallest girl in school, and arguably the most athletic, but she didn't want anything to do with the school's sports teams - possibly because she'd been kicked off half of them for 'unsportsmanlike conduct'. Her favourite activity was amateur boxing, especially when her opponent was a defenceless fourth-grader._

_Aaron, like Lisa, was in the seventh grade, and fiercely loyal to Steve. He rarely spoke, unless Steve happened to not be at school on any particular day; then he was in charge, slipping into the leader's role easily, but always backing off when the official leader returned._

_Then there was Tom, Aaron's kid brother. Jamie and Jason's fellow fifth-grader looked up to the older kids as if their cruelty was some sign of divinity._

_Jamie did his best to avoid the balls, but then Steve got hold of another one and whipped it at him far too quickly to be dodged._

* * *

_Wednesday, March 13 th, 2002_

Jamie pushed his way through the crowded train station. It was really cool of the Professor to make sure he got to take a train sometime this week. He must've noticed how much Jamie loved riding on those things. Aunt Peg and Uncle Lee had to be around here somewhere. They'd promised they would. Alex was lagging behind them, carrying all their luggage.

"Jamie, sweetie!" Aunt Peg's voice rose easily over the noise of their surroundings. "Over here!" Once Jamie managed to pinpoint where her voice was coming from, she was easy to spot. She was standing by the front doors, waving her short, plump arms so violently that her multicoloured-framed glasses almost toppled off her nose. Uncle Lee stood beside her, a grin on his tanned, leathery face. His tall, wiry frame contrasted with his wife's short and round shape.

Jamie eventually got over to them, immediately getting swept into a big hug by Aunt Peg. Uncle Lee clapped him on the back. "Great to have you home, sport," he greeted him. His eagle eyes quickly picked up on Alex. "And you must be the friend Mr. Xavier said would be coming." He stuck his hand out. "Leland Madrox, but please, call me Uncle Lee; everyone does. And this is my wife Peg." Alex had to put down one bag and shift another one onto his shoulder just to shake Uncle Lee's hand.

"Well, come on," Aunt Peg said, "I'm sure you're tired from your trip, so let's get you two to the house."

* * *

_Thursday, March 14 th, 2002_

"Dude, how much further?" Alex moaned.

They were on their way to the nearest park; Jamie's favourite place besides his Aunt and Uncle's house. After a good night's sleep, Jamie was determined to show Alex all the cool parts around town, to prove that Los Alamos was just as awesome as Hawaii. It was only a twenty-minute walk away, but since Alex only had to walk two minutes to get to the beach at home, the surfer wasn't used to going such long distances on foot. In reality, Jamie felt it would be easier to just drive, but Uncle Lee wasn't going to let that happen. "The way gas prices are heading, I'm not going to waste my fuel just so you can be lazy. No, a growing boy your age needs exercise, and once you reach your destination, it'll be a whole lot more satisfying if you've worked harder to get there."

"Not even a minute; it should be just around the bend." He took off ahead, hearing the older boy calling for him to wait up. For such a fit guy, he sure was slow.

Jamie grinned happily when the peeling jungle gym came into view, the sunlight reflecting off the remaining paint and making it look like a magnificent fortress. As soon as he reached it, he started climbing all the way to the top, timing himself as he went. It took him twenty whole seconds to get there. "I must be out of practice," he said to himself, "It used to take me only fifteen, if that." Before leaving to attend the Institute, before his powers had shown up, he'd been the champion jungle-gym-climber of the neighbourhood.

He waved at Alex as he finally came huffing and puffing around the corner. "Well, what do we have here?" Jamie gulped at the sound of that all-too-familiar voice. He'd been so preoccupied with the jungle gym that he hadn't noticed the five kids hanging out by the swings. He turned and saw Steve, Lisa, Aaron, Tom, and... Jason?

-

_The ball hit Jamie right in the face and knocked him back. He landed with a hard 'thud' on the ground and had a distinct feeling of someone landing next to him. The room got very quiet all of a sudden. Groaning, he sat up, rubbing his head. Everyone was staring at him, or so it seemed at first glance. Their eyes kept darting back and forth between him and a spot just to his right. Curious, Jamie glanced over._

_It was like looking in a mirror, only this 'reflection's face seem backwards somehow. He realised that that must be what his face looked like to others. That little revelation gave him the chills, but not as much as the one that very quickly followed._

_The kid who'd appeared out of nowhere was a perfect duplicate of Jamie, right down the skinned left elbow from when he'd tripped in the driveway a couple days ago. He scooted backward, shocked, just as his clone did the same. At the same time, they opened their mouths and screamed in perfect synchronisation._

* * *

"Look, guys," Steve sneered, "Little Clone-Boy's come back." Aaron, Tom, and Lisa snickered while Jason just stared at Jamie. "What're you doing here, freak? Shouldn't you be off with all the other freaks in your freak school?" Jamie silently noted that Steve hadn't gotten any better at coming up with creative insults. Why had he once been afraid of him? "You don't belong here, Madrox. You never did."

Alex stalked over to them. "Watch it, you little punk," he threatened, "Nobody talks to the Squirt that way."

"Alex!" Jamie called, scrambling down, "Forget them. They only want trouble. I've had to deal with them all my life, although I've gotta know why Jason's hanging out with these creeps." Jason stepped forward, but didn't say anything. "We were best friends, Jase. I know you were kinda freaked out - I was, too - but seriously why are you with these guys? Whenever they shoved me into a garbage can, you were always in the one next to me!"

"They did what?!"

Jamie ignored Alex. "Why, man?"

Jason snorted. "Better to be one of them than one of you," he stated coldly.

-

_"Found him!" Aaron called, wrenching Jamie out from under the desk, "He's over here!"_

_Jamie hooked his arm around the leg of the desk, trying to keep himself anchored there, but the older boy was too strong. Jamie was dragged out by his ankle, scrambling for something to hold onto._

_Within a few seconds, Steve, Lisa, and Tom were in the room. After the strange twin... clone... whatever, had appeared and vanished seconds later, he'd been chased out of the gym, and gone into hiding. Unfortunately, he'd been found out._

_Instinctively, he curled into a ball, protecting his face and chest. Four pairs of shoes struck him from all sides, and he huddled on the floor, waiting for it to end._

_Then the kicking suddenly stopped. "You want a piece of this, too?" Steve snarled._

_Jamie chanced a peek between his fingers and saw Jason standing in the doorway. "Jase!" he cried, earning another kick from Lisa, "Help!"_

_But Jason didn't help. He just shrugged, as if saying: 'Continue', and walked out._

* * *

"Whatever!" Steve snapped, "Let's put this punk in his place!" He swung a fist at Jamie, who easily ducked it. After seeing what they'd done to him, Mr. Logan had immediately taught him the most basic rule of self-defence: Don't get hit; if they can't touch you, they can't beat you, even if you don't land a hit on them. So Jamie did as he'd been taught. He calmly sidestepped and ducked and occasionally jumped as Steve swung wildly at him.

"Don't bother, Alex," he called, "I can handle these guys."

-

_Monday, June 26 th, 2000_

_"Jamie?" Aunt Peg poked her head through his bedroom door. "Jamie, you have some visitors. They want to talk about what happened yesterday."_

_Jamie sat up carefully. He still was sore and bruised all over from what the bullies had done to him. He'd just been lucky that Coach St. John had found them and broken up the fight. Although he could probably manage just fine, he'd insisted on not going to school on Monday, and the heavy beating he'd gotten had made it easy for his aunt and uncle to agree with him, especially since there were only a few days left before the end of the school year._

_The door opened all the way, and a weird humming sound reached his ears before he saw the man in the wheelchair roll in. "Good afternoon, Jamie," he introduced himself politely, "My name is Charles Xavier." He extended his hand, and Jamie shook it, remembering to mind his manners like Aunt Peg and Uncle Lee taught him. "I run a special school in New York, and I would like to request your attendance."_

_Jamie shrugged. "Uh, why?" Aunt Peg gave him a look. "Sir? Why would you want me at some special school? I'm not some kind of genius or athlete."_

_Mr. Xavier chuckled. "My boy, you misunderstand. My school is for children who possess certain... unusual talents, such as what you displayed Friday in your school gym."_

_Jamie shivered. He didn't like to think about that. "T-that... that was probably just some trick of the light, sir. It couldn't be real."_

_"Hmm. Perhaps you would like to talk to some of my older students. I brought two along with me." He tilted his head towards the door. "Kitty?" he called, “Kurt?”_

_Two people walked in, both of them in their teens. First was a boy with dark blueish hair, and a girl with a brown ponytail. The latter smile sweetly at him. She was very pretty. "Hi, Jamie," she said softly, "I'm Kitty Pryde. Are you feeling any better?"_

_Jamie nodded, not sure what to make of this. These two didn't look very unusual. He wondered what they were doing at that school._

_"Jamie," Mr. Xavier said, "There is something very important you should know. There are people in this world that can do things nobody else can because of a special part of their DNA. Kurt, Kitty, and myself are among them. We are called mutants." Mutants? Like from the mutant alien comic books? "You yourself also possess this special DNA. Your ability to copy yourself seems to have manifested early, so we hurried down to speak to you here, especially given your classmates' reactions."_

_Jamie hugged his knees. "They always do that to me," he mumbled, "Even before this started. Are you saying I'm some kind of freak?"_

_Kitty sat down next to him and rubbed his shoulder. "Of course not," she assured him, "The Professor and a whole bunch of other scientists think it won't be too long before there are more mutants than humans. You know what evolution is, right?" Jamie nodded. "Well, we're just the first of a more evolved human race, to put it simply. And believe me, you're not alone. There's tons of us up at the school, and we can help each other out with getting our powers under control. In a way, it's like a school for superheroes. If you don't wanna come join us right now, that's okay, but our doors are always open to any new students."_

_She'd had Jamie at 'superheroes'._

* * *

On his tenth swing, Steve lost his balance and toppled over. Lisa tried to tackle Jamie, but he stepped to one side and she landed on her boyfriend. "Stay still, twerp!" Aaron and Tom came at him from either side, and he leapt into the air, doing a backflip just for show and landing a couple feet away while the brother crashed into each other. Jason was the only one left standing. He seemed conflicted, although Jamie had a grim feeling that it was fear of getting hurt, and not their old friendship, that held him back.

Steve staggered to his feet, growling. He looked like he was going to charge again, but Jamie felt Alex stepping up behind him, cracking his knuckles. "Forget it," the bully mumbled, "The freak's not worth it." He took off, followed by the rest of his gang. Jason didn't even look back.

* * *

_Thursday, August 17 th, 2000_

_Jamie had a hard time keeping his giggles contained. If the target was to wake up, the mission would be doomed. Quietly, he squirted a mound of whipped cream onto the target's hand, while one of his duplicates stood by the head with his own tool. There. Everything was set. He tiptoed away, joining his partners in crime behind their chosen concealment. "Three..." one of his fellow conspirators mumbled, "Two... One!"_

_The duplicate tickled Scott's nose with the feather. The leader of the younger X-Men reflexively reached up to scratch, smearing the whipped cream all over his face. He woke up with a start, and the duplicate vanished at Jamie's will. Scott gasped and sat bolt upright, wiping the cream off his face. Even more satisfying was his reaction to the fact that his bed was no longer in his bedroom, but out on the front lawn. Jamie, Bobby, and Kurt held their breaths, refusing to laugh. At least until Kurt had teleported them to a safe distance where they couldn't be heard._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And... there you have it! Next up (hopefully tomorrow) is Ray's story: Part One! After over a year, this fic's almost done!


	11. Chapter 10: The Story of Ray 'Berzerker' Crisp, Part 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, here it is! Part one of Ray's story! This background has been in my head for over a year, and now I can't wait to show it to you all! In my upcoming XME fanfic 'Seether', which is a Ray/OC fic, this backstory will be part of it, and in the sequel, Ray will be returning home, however, these present-day scenes never happened, since this is set in March after Apocalypse and 'Seether' will be set in, like, February or late January, and in case you haven't noticed, there's no OC mentioned that Ray is in a relationship with. She doesn't exist in this fic. Anyway, the characters introduced here will also be present. 
> 
> DISCLAIMER: I do not own XME. The Cassidys are characters from the comics (At least, I know that Sean Cassidy, aka Banshee, is). I own Tyler Crisp, Duane Crisp, Hermes, Sally Crisp, and George Crisp.

_Tuesday, March 12 th, 2002_

_LOCATION: FREDERICKSBURG, VIRGINIA_

"Come on, Professor, you know I don't want to go back there," Ray protested for what he felt like the hundredth time. He was admittedly getting bored at Mary Washington Hospice, but be didn't want to go back there.

_"Ray, I understand your reluctance. However, I also believe that you do need to face him," Professor X insisted gently, "You and Tabitha will be flying to New Jersey tomorrow."_

"But-"

_"That is my final word." Click_

Ray sighed heavily as he hung up the phone. There was just no arguing with the Professor, but Ray had no clue what he'd been thinking. He knew Ray's reasons for running away from there in the first place, as his whole life went downhill in five short years. It'd been just fine before...

* * *

_Wednesday, June 17 th, 1992_

_"Hey, little bro!" Duane called from across the backyard, "Check this out!" Seven-year old Ray got up from where he'd been playing with Hermes, their four-month-old German Shepherd puppy, and hurried to join his big brother by Mom's flower garden. Duane was still thirteen, a little under seven years older than Ray, who’d had his birthday just two days ago. The brothers were complete opposites in terms of appearance. Ray had Mom's blond hair and pale complexion and Dad's deep green eyes, while Duane had black hair and tanned skin, thrown into sharp contrast against Mom's blue eyes. However, despite how different they looked, they were inseparable. At least, that was how Ray saw it._

_Duane grinned and pointed at the dirt. Ray looked and saw a nice, fat worm squirming around in the soil. "We're lucky this one escaped the birds," the elder Crisp boy whispered, as if the birds were listening in, "I've got the coolest idea of what to do with it."_

_Ray had to stifle a laugh. Duane always came up with the best pranks to play on their parents and teachers._

_It was only five minutes later when Mom rolled her wheelchair over to the microwave. She was carefully balancing a bowl of canned tomato soup on her lap, with more difficulty than usual. There wasn't as much room for it, since her swollen belly was gradually taking up more and more space. Any day now, Dad had said, and they’d have a new baby brother or sister._

_Ray and Duane were just hiding around the corner, waiting for her to scream. Once the soup was heated, she would give it to Dad once he came downstairs, and eventually they would discover the slimy critter Duane had slipped in when she wasn't looking._

* * *

Ray wasn't sure why that flashback had come to him, but he shoved it away into the dark corners of his mind, a forgotten memory. There was no point in dwelling on that part of his past; it was dead and gone.

* * *

_Monday, June 29 th, 1992_

_He couldn't stop fidgeting in the hard waiting room chair, no matter how many stern looks the grumpy old receptionist gave him. Duane was sitting next to him, headphones on, his mind off somewhere else. How he could possibly be so calm, Ray had no idea. They were about to get a baby brother or sister! Ray couldn't wait to no longer be the baby of the family. The new kid could take that job._

_A nurse came over and tapped Duane on the shoulder, asking to talk to him for a second. Duane shrugged and followed her around the corner. Ray was tempted to follow them and listen in, but it turned out that he didn't have to wait long. A minute later, Duane shuffled back in. Looking at his big brother, Ray got a really bad feeling that something was wrong. Duane seemed to move like a zombie; not like he was going to eat Ray's brains, but like he just didn't seemed to be paying attention to where he was. He knelt down on the floor in front of Ray's chair._

_Placing one shaking hand on his little brother's shoulder, Duane slowly looked up. "Mom's gone," he whispered._

_Ray didn't get what he meant. "Huh? Where'd she go?"_

_"She's gone, Ray. Like Grandpa last year. Our little brother's fine, but Mom… she didn't make it."_

* * *

_Wednesday, March 13 th, 2002_

_LOCATION: TRENTON MERCER AIRPORT, NEW JERSEY_

"Ray? Hellooooooo? Anybody home?" Ray cracked one eye open to see Tabby rolling her eyes at him. "Dude, we've landed. Get up already. I know you're not really asleep." Ray groaned inwardly. He wanted to take as much time as possible getting off the plane. It wasn’t like he was expecting a warm welcome. "I'm counting to five, and if you don't get up, I'll stick a cherry bomb down your pants. One... Two..." Ray sighed and sat up, stretching.

"We might as well go," he mumbled, "Maybe we can find a cheap hotel or something."

"Ray, are you suggesting..."

"You know I don't mean it like that."

"I know, I know, I just love watching your reaction." She put her hands on her hips and eyed him curiously. "Your usual reaction, anyway. You've been out of it since we got on the plane. What's up?"

Ray shrugged. "You'll see once we get to my father's place."

* * *

_Monday, January 17 th, 1994_

_"Dad?" Ray cautiously poked his head through the doorway. "Dad? Tyler won't shut up. Dad?"_

_"He's asleep." Ray jumped as Duane's voice came from behind him. He was surprised he could hear his older brother when his little brother was wailing his lungs out in the kitchen. Ray had tried everything: cookies, toys, all he could think of, but the eighteen-month-old wouldn't stop. "What's the kid want now?" Duane stalked off towards the kitchen, with Ray following right behind._

_After Mom had died, Ray and Duane had been left with a baby brother and a grief-stricken father. Dad was so upset, he'd started going out a lot at night, sometimes all day, and coming back stumbling and reeking of a smell Ray soon learned was stale beer from the local bar. Needless to say, that didn't bode too well with Dad's boss, even considering the circumstances. Police detectives had too many responsibilities to go and get drunk every night. So Dad lost his job. The life insurance and Dad's minimal severance pay kept them from becoming homeless, but they had to move out of their suburban two-storey and into a small apartment on the other side of town, where police sirens were heard every night and the idea of an honest living was almost laughable. If Tyler kept crying much longer, the neighbours would complain to the landlord, and either Dad or Duane would have to argue with him until he agreed not to evict the family._

_Ray wanted his baby brother to stop, but Duane's methods frightened him. He tried to tell Duane to stop, but it was too late. The fifteen-year old strode over to Tyler's highchair, picked him up, and roughly shook him once. "SHUT UP!" The baby's wails only grew louder._

_Ray tried to pull Tyler away, but Duane was just too tall for the eight-year-old to reach. "Duane, stop it!" he begged, "You're just making him cry more!"_

_Duane rolled his eyes and shoved the baby into the arms of his other brother. "Fine then," he snapped, "You do something about it." He spat into a corner, picked a cigarette and a lighter out of his pocket, and lit up. "Little brats, the both of you."_

* * *

"Nice place," Tabby commented sarcastically as she eyed the old, grey apartment building. It was an old, three-storey complex made of wooden boards so old that they were all grey, with cracked and duct-taped windows, and the ground out front was littered with fast-food wrappers, cigarettes, broken glass, and other pieces of trash, and, well, you get the point.

Ray poked at a plastic bottle with his toe. "Come, on," he mumbled, "Might as well get this over with."

He led her inside and up the creaky stairs - the elevator had been broken since before he'd moved in - to a door with rusted brass numbers 2 and 0 and a rust stain in the shape of a 4, where the third number had been before it'd fallen off. He twisted the doorknob, hoping that Dad or Duane hadn't actually gotten around to fixing it. Sure enough, with the right twist, the door squeaked open. They hadn't used a key since one of Duane's buddies had gotten into Dad's stash of beer and broken the door down.

The TV was on a music station, playing 'that hip-hop-rap crap' (as Mr. Logan called it; though Ray wasn't a fan of it either, he didn't feel quite as strongly about it) and one of those music videos that Ray never really watched. Curled up on the worn-out sofa with a notebook and chewed-up pencil was a nine-year old boy with tangled blond hair. He had the music up so loud that he obviously hadn't heard them come in, and seemed to be almost completely absorbed in whatever he was writing.

Ray cleared his throat, making the boy jump. His breath was caught in his throat as he looked upon his little brother for the first time in four years. Tyler's blue eyes were small and watery, just like Mom's had been, but they contained a sort of loneliness that sent a pang of guilt through Ray's heart. He was too skinny, and his faded t-shirt and ripped-up jeans looked like they'd seen better days.

"Hey," he said softly, not sure if Tyler recognised him, "You've gotten taller."

Tyler backed up at first, then gasped. "Ray?" he choked. Ray nodded, and the next thing he knew, Tyler had slammed into him and was hugging his waist tightly. Unsure at first how to react, Ray hugged his little brother back. He couldn't believe that Tyler could remember him when he'd been absent for almost half the kid's life. "I never thought you were dead," Tyler choked, his words muffled by Ray's shirt, "Like Duane told me and Dad. Ms. Cassidy next door said you were tough, and that you'd come back for me someday."

Ray vaguely remembered the woman in the next apartment with the red hair and Irish accent. She'd had a son, Sean, about a few years older than Tyler, and would sometimes let Ray and Tyler stay with her when Duane invited his gang over.

* * *

_Friday, February 28 th, 1997_

_There was a crash from next door, and Ray hoped it wasn't the lamp. It would be quite a challenge to keep Tyler away from the broken glass. Said four-year-old was in the kitchen with Ms. Cassidy, begging her, along with Sean, to please let them have just one cookie before supper._

_Ms. Cassidy was pretty much the only decent adult in the area that Ray and Tyler knew of. She and Sean had fallen on some bad luck, and couldn't afford to live anywhere else, but that wasn't enough to keep her down. She was always kind to the youth living in the building, and had unimaginable patience with some of their tempers. Because let's face it, a kid from this area of town wasn't exactly known for being a model student, being influenced by all the junkies and dealers on the streets. Most of the teenagers in the neighbourhood had already dropped out of school._

_She was also very firm, and no amount of begging or pleading could convince her that you should be allowed to eat a whole load of junk before a decent meal. Ray had learned that long ago, but four-year-olds aren't exactly the best at picking those things up._

_Another crash could be heard, followed by a string of words that made Ms. Cassidy shake her head and mutter something about today's teenagers._

* * *

"How's Dad?"

The brothers and Tabby had moved to the sofa after all the introductions, and Ray had learned that after he'd run away, Duane had told everyone who asked that he was dead. This didn't surprise him at all; he'd learned a lot about his older brother after Mom had died. He was only nice when he had to be, and didn't care if someone was hurt, so long as he got his own way. It figured that Duane would just write Ray off as dead and spare himself all the bother of searching for him.

Tyler picked at a spring sticking out by his left thigh. "He's at his meeting."

"What meeting?"

"His AA meeting. After you went missing, he said it was all his fault, and he started getting help. His friends are really supportive about it, and they even come over sometimes. Dad's talking about going back to work someday, too. What did he do before Mom died, though? Nobody ever mentioned it."

"He was a detective," Ray replied, "and a really good one, too. I'm just glad he's getting better. And…" He paused. "What about Duane?"

Tyler stared down at his feet. "Well... he's supposed to be in jail, but..."

"Wait, what? What'd he get arrested for?"

"You sound like you're surprised."

"That he'd get caught, yeah. He's a rotten guy, but usually smart enough to get away with practically everything. He's been able to do that for as long as I can remember."

"Well, it's pretty small stuff. He and his buddies broke into a house on the other side of town, but never counted on the people living there being black belts and owning two Dobermans. But the worst part is, he got out somehow. The police called yesterday, but I didn't tell Dad."

"Why not?" Tabby asked, "It's kind of something he should know."

Tyler shook his head. "Dad wouldn't have left me alone if he knew, and I don't want him to miss any meetings. He's doing really well now, and I can't ruin it for him."

Just then, footsteps could be heard outside the doorway, along with familiar stoned laughter. Ray tensed and stood up, moving between his little brother and the apartment door.

Tabby stood as well. "Who's that?" she asked Tyler.

Ray clenched his fists. "It's Duane," he growled, "I'd know that laugh anywhere."

The doorknob turned, and Ray gritted his teeth as his drunk older brother sauntered in.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To be continued...
> 
> Wow, this took me FOREVER to write, mostly because I couldn't decide which direction to go in. Including the Cassidys was sort of a random thing, but at one point months ago or last year, I imagined Ray going back home, and the Cassidys were his new next door neighbours. So I figured I'd make part of that happen.
> 
> Just so you know, I hold nothing against rap and hiphop. I prefer rock music, but the 'rap crap' thing I got from my father. He pretty much only listens to classic rock, so I thought I'd quote him, sort of.
> 
> All right, the next chapter will be coming up soon, I promise!
> 
> One last thing: READ AND REVIEW PLZ :) :) :)


	12. Chapter 11: The Story of Ray 'Berzerker' Crisp, Part 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, and welcome to my newest chapter! I'm REALLY behind on my posting, so I'm trying to give as quick updates as possible.
> 
> And of course I have to add: Merry Chirstmas, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Kwanzaa, or whatever you celebrate this time of year! :) 
> 
> Just to recap where we left off, Ray had to go to his old home in New Jersey, even though he REALLY didn't wanna. The reason: his sadistic older brother and his drunkenly oblivious father. However, when he arrives at his family's apartment, he finds that his little brother Tyler is overjoyed to have him back, and their dad's getting the help he needs. However, Duane recently broke out of jail and just showed up...
> 
> DISCLAIMER: The Crisps (minus Ray) and Duane's gang are all I own.
> 
> WARNING: Foul language ahead. Just because some of the characters in this say it, doesn't mean I approve of it. They ain't nice guys.

_Previously:_

_Just then, footsteps could be heard outside the doorway, along with familiar stoned laughter. Ray tensed and stood up, moving between his little brother and the apartment door._

_Tabby stood as well. "Who's that?" she asked Tyler._

_Ray clenched his fists. "It's Duane," he growled, "I'd know that laugh anywhere."_

_The doorknob turned, and Ray gritted his teeth as his drunk older brother sauntered in._

* * *

_Wednesday, March 13 th, 2002_

_LOCATION: TRENTON, NEW JERSEY_

Duane stopped in the middle of the doorway when he saw them. At first, it seemed he hadn't the faintest idea who Ray was. Then he smirked, taking a swig out of the beer can in his right hand and leaning casually on the doorframe. "Well, well, well," he slurred, "Look who's come back, boys." Duane's friends appeared as well, completely blocking the doorway. They hadn't changed that much since Ray had last seen them. One guy had a new scar on his cheek, but that was about the only difference. He'd never bothered to learn their real names; rather, they were referred to as 'Buzz' (the skinny guy who was never ever sober), 'Red' (who always wore the same red sweater with a line drawn on the sleeves for every guy he killed; so far, he was up to about four), and 'Dumbass' (who didn't have a single brain cell, but a new scar).

Red had been the original leader of the gang, and had agreed to accept Duane as one of them, but then Ray's brother had beaten him up not once, not twice, but three times, in order to take command. It was weird that a group of scumbags like them could actually have an official leader, but they did.

Their group sort of reminded Ray of a more sinister, doped-up version of the Brotherhood. Dumbass was Fred, only without the huge appetite and much less of a brain; purely the muscle of the group. Buzz was Todd, always with Dumbass, but not as funny or smart, though with a slightly better sense of hygiene. Red was Pietro, talking faster than his brain could process the words, so of course they didn't come out as smart as he thought, and again, not really the intelligence of the speedster whose mind could usually keep up with the rest of himself. And then Duane was Lance, without the calm (okay, so Lance wasn't calm, but he kept his head better than the others) or care for anyone else, and instead with sociopathic tendencies. And, of course, he was... three guesses: not as smart.

Buzz snorted as he laughed. "No way," he chortled, "Little freak's come back."

"I thought he was dead," Dumbass commented, clearly confused.

Red smacked him. "That was just a story so people would stop lookin' for him, idiot." His eyes settled on Tabby. "Whoa. Who's the bitch?"

Tabby strode right up to him and punched him in the face so hard that he fell back on the floor. "That would be you," she answered before moving back to stand protectively by Tyler's side.

The gang leader rolled his eyes. "Forget the ho. Buzz, Dumbass, check the usual places for cash. Red, git your ass off the floor."

Red got to his feet, muttering to himself. The other two gang members started digging around in drawers and between the couch cushions.

Duane glared at Ray. "I told you when I kicked you out," he growled, "There's no room in this city for freaks. Why the hell'd you come back?"

* * *

_Friday, December 19 th, 1997_

_Ray tried to pull his baby brother out of Duane's grasp, but the eldest just shoved him back. "Let him go!" he insisted, "You're hurting him!"_

_Duane only tightened his headlock on Tyler. "Little brat needs to learn respect," he explained, grinning, "With the way Dad is, I'm obviously the guy in charge here. The kid just hasn't learned it yet."_

_Ray attempted again to wrestle his older brother away from Tyler, but this time, Duane shoved him so hard, he crashed into the wall opposite them, knocking the broken lamp onto the floor. Geez, that lamp really liked the floor, didn't it?_

_Tyler was starting to cry. The five-year-old wasn't as used to this torment as Ray was. Ray got up and charged again, feeling a surge of energy course through him._

_When his fist connected with Duane's face, something strange happened. There was a brief flash of light, and Duane jumped back, immediately releasing Tyler. Ray helped his little brother to his feet, then turned to face Duane again._

_Duane slowly got up, swearing and clutching the right side of his face. When he moved his hand away, Ray was surprised to see a large red burn mark under his eye. "What the hell?" Duane growled through the pain, "What'd you do?" He ran at Ray and took a swing. The first one missed as Ray ducked, but the second one caught him off guard and in the ribs. Ray stumbled back again. Ouch... He had a feeling that at least one was broken. Duane had a really strong punch._

_Speak of the devil, Duane came down on him again, and Ray put out his arms in a weak attempt to defend himself. Better him than little Tyler._

_Then it happened again, only this time, Ray saw what it was. As Duane came closer, a stream of energy - like a mini lightning bolt - arced from the palm of his hand and hit Duane squarely in the chest. Duane was knocked back onto his butt, a smouldering hole having suddenly appeared in the middle of his t-shirt._

_Ray gasped and looked down at his own hand, stunned at what he'd just seen. He didn't really just..._

_Tyler was staring at him, terrified, although Ray couldn't be sure what was scaring the little guy the most._

_Duane staggered back to his feet, livid. "Get out," he ordered, "Go on, you little freak. Get out of here. I don't wanna see you in here again. Hell, if I see you anywhere in town, me and the gang'll beat the shit out of you." Ray stood, but didn't move. It was only when Duane pulled out his switchblade and pointed it in Tyler's direction that Ray complied and ran out the door._

* * *

Ray gritted his teeth. "Ty, is Ms. Cassidy home?"

"Uh-huh," came a soft response from behind him.

"Tabs, get Tyler over there, and do whatever you can to make sure he and the neighbours don't get hurt."

"Ray, what're you thinking of doing?" Tabby asked, sounding only somewhat worried.

"This is between me and him. Just keep everyone else safe."

"Got it." She took Tyler by the shoulders and steered him towards the door, stopping only when Duane and Red blocked their way. "Move if you know what's good for you," she threatened.

Red snorted. "How's a girl gonna get past me?" Clearly he'd already forgotten the blow to his face less than a minute earlier.

Tabby held up one clenched fist, opening her fingers just enough to let tiny shafts of yellow light escape. "You sure you wanna find out?"

Red did the smart thing, for once in his life, and backed off. Tabby gave him half a smirk before steering Tyler past him and out into the hall. Ray heard the sound of her knuckles on wood, and was relieved to hear Ms. Cassidy's voice, followed by a couple more footsteps and the door closing. He breathed a sigh of relief. Tyler was safe, at least for now.

* * *

_Sunday, May 18 th, 1998_

_Ray slipped into the shadows quickly as the man passed by his alley hiding place. The last thing he wanted was to be discovered. This weird electricity thing he could do... it was tough to control, and he didn't want to accidentally hurt someone, or face retaliation. The cut on his shoulder from the drunk woman with the broken beer bottle who'd taken his spare blanket was still stinging under the makeshift bandage. He didn't need another encounter like that. No, best to stay in the background and make do with what he could._

_He enviously watched all the people going back and forth in the New York street in front of him. They were so lucky, he thought, to be in their own little world where they didn't have to worry about being attacked for some strange power they couldn't explain. Ray cursed these weird abilities of his. All they did was ruin his life even more. Tyler... he'd left his little brother alone with_ **_him_ ** _. How could he have been so selfish? He'd rather have stayed and taken whatever Duane did to him. He just hoped Ms. Cassidy would be able to take care of the kid._

_But instead, here he was, hiding out in a dark alley a whole state away. New York City had seemed like the best bet; the place was easy to get lost in, according to his Dad, so it had seemed like the perfect place to hide out. Nobody looked twice when they saw a homeless guy on the street. He was tall enough to pass as a short adult, and just had to keep his face down, so that they wouldn't realise how young he really was. Nobody bothered him unless they wanted something of his, and he didn't have much anyways. But after an incident with a couple of the local homeless community, in which he’d accidentally electrocuted a man, he’d decided it wasn’t worth sticking around, and had managed to stow away on a truck that took him to a smaller city called Bayville._

_A drop of moisture fell on his cheek, and he stiffened for a second, praying it wasn't rain. The last time he'd been in the rain, he'd burned himself with his own powers. Electricity and water obviously didn't mix, just like he'd learned in science class, but that was a painful reinforcement. Whenever it rained, he'd have to take shelter until it passed, and there was no discernable shelter nearby. At least, none where he'd be invisible to the passersby._

_He looked up and saw that, luckily, it was just some leaky pipe above him. Quickly, he moved out of the way and settled down in a corner. He'd need some sleep if he was going to find any food tomorrow._

* * *

He turned his attention back to his elder brother. "What did you do to him while I was gone?" he asked, "How many times did you send our little brother to the hospital?"

Duane snorted. "As if you care. You left him behind. All I wanna know is, how'd you survive all these years? Who'd you get to take pity on you?"

Ray bristled. "Pity? Where I was, there's no such thing as pity. Just a desire to help those who need it. Something you would never understand."

* * *

_Ray woke with a start to a loud clattering noise. Living out in these dangerous and unpredictable conditions, it was easy to wake at the slightest sound. It had to be; your life could depend on it._

_It was the manhole cover only a few feet away. He stayed frozen, but tensed up, ready to jump up and get the hell out of there if needed. A hand came up from the hole and grabbed onto the edge, followed by another. A head popped out, although Ray couldn't see their face, since they were turned away from him, looking at the street to see if anyone had noticed them. After a second, the person must’ve judged that the coast was clear, because they pulled themselves out the rest of the way, signalling for someone to follow. As this person stepped into the light, Ray realised that they were big. Broad shoulders, thick arms, and hands big enough to grab his whole head. If he was spotted, he'd be killed in an instant._

_The second person came out was much smaller, the size of a child, only with forearms and hands a lot bigger and out of proportion to the rest of their body. They had a pair of thick gloves covering them._

_Then the third person came. It was definitely a woman, with shoulder-length dark hair and a tall, fit frame. Ray moved his hand just a little bit, to help push himself off the ground, when the woman spun around to face him._

_She was pale, with a lean face, a thin scar going across her cheeks, and an eye patch over her right eye. Ray gasped involuntarily, startled at how she'd detected him so fast. When the other two turned and saw him, their reaction was instantaneous. The child - now that he could see her face, he could tell it was a girl - yanked one of her gloves off and held her hand out defensively. The large woman moved into a crouching pose, as if ready to attack._

_The woman stuck her arm out sideways, as if blocking them from coming any closer to Ray. "He's just a kid," she said, "Only about ten years old."_

_Ray frowned. "I'm **twelve** , lady!" he spat, "Just leave me alone!" A couple sparks shot from his fingers, and he pressed himself even further against the wall._

_He expected them to react in fear or disgust as his powers again decided to display themselves, but they didn't. The woman was definitely startled at first, but she seemed to get over it rather quickly, and the look on her face was almost... understanding. "Did you see that, girls?" she asked the other two, "Looks like we've found another like us."_

_"Like you?" Some of Ray's fear was slowly being replaced by curiosity. Could there be others like him? He glanced at each of them again._

_"Yes, like us. You're not the only one with strange powers, powers that the humans don't understand."_

_"What are you talking about? I **am** a human!"_

_She shook her head. "Not anymore. We all were, once, but then one day each of us experienced a... change. Some more dramatic than others. We're mutants, people who have to build a new life away from society because we're different. They won't help us, so we have to help each other." She offered him her hand. "Even if you don't want to join us, you're welcome to share some of our food. The Morlocks exist to give shelter to any of our kind who needs it."_

_Ray hesitantly reached a bit to take her hand, but stopped. "Who are you?"_

_"I am Callisto, leader of the Morlocks. This is Scaleface and our youngest member, Torpid."_

_He took her hand. "I'm Ray."_

* * *

Duane only scowled at Ray. "So you found someone to take care of you, and developed the guts to actually come back here. I guess there's only one thing to do." He cracked his knuckles, grinning. "Let's have some fun, boys! Just like old times!" Dumbass and Buzz immediately dropped what they were doing and moved so that Ray was surrounded on all sides.

Four years ago, Ray would've been scared of what was to come. Now, his fear was replaced with calm and calculation. He doubted their fighting had improved one bit, whereas he'd learned plenty of martial arts from the Morlocks and the X-Men, and if needed, his powers were pretty well under his control. He could handle himself.

Dumbass, of course, was the first to charge. Ray knew he couldn't flip him; he was far too heavy. So he stepped to the side at the last moment and tripped the big idiot. At that moment Ray actually was worried - worried that Dumbass might break through the floor, into the apartment below, and squash someone.

Buzz followed, coming at him from behind and trying to get his arms around Ray's neck. Ray just stepped aside again, this time grabbing Buzz's left arm and shoulder and spinning around so that the other man's momentum sent him flying back the way he came, straight into the wall.

He heard someone coming up behind him, and turned just in time to deflect Red's fist. "You're gonna have to do better than that," he stated dully. This was boring. He wanted to deal with Duane alone, and these guys were just interrupting him. His words seemed to incense Red even more. The skinny junkie took a few more swings at him, and Ray let him land one blow on his ribs, then feigned a cry of pain and 'stumbled' backwards. Red laughed, thinking he'd won already. His prize: a roundhouse kick to the face. He joined Dumbass and Buzz on the floor.

Ray then turned to face Duane, who seemed to at a loss for words, for once in his life. Nobody could take his boys down that fast, especially not alone. Ray smirked, for an instant glad that he could finally get back at them for all the beatings they'd given him before. His brother, on the other hand, just got even more pissed off. "You think you're tough, huh?" he snarled, "I'll show you, just like I always have." Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a shiny new switchblade and flicked it open.

"Ooh, a knife, I'm so scared,” Ray mocked, doing his best to sound as cocky as possible. It would drive Duane nuts, and the more pissed-off he was, the more likely he'd make a mistake. "You need a blade because you can't do anything without one?"

In their first Danger Room session, Mr. Logan had told the New Mutants that they wouldn't be getting any fancy weapons like in the comics, cartoons, and movies, like Jamie had expressly hoped. "You don't need any external weapons," he'd said, "to take care of yourself. Gotta learn that relying on a gun or a blade or a stick could get you killed." When Tabby had bravely pointed out that Mr. Logan used blades all the time - six of them - their teacher's response was fifty laps around the Room for all of them. Then he'd begun instructing them in basic self-defence, explaining that they'd soon move on to taking down armed opponents without weapons or powers at all. "Danger doesn't come just in the form of other mutants, and not always in a private area where nobody can see you. You have to learn how to do it yourselves." Privately, Ray couldn't agree more, although he'd stayed silent, not wanting the others to ask how he knew that so well. They hadn't known about his brief two years or so living in the sewers, or the months alone on the streets.

* * *

_Friday, June 23 rd, 2000_

_"Shh!" Ray hissed, "You four get any louder, and the Upworlders'll hear you!" The three young girls quickly fell silent, although Ray doubted the quiet would last long. Why did he have to get stuck babysitting the children of the group, much less all the little girls? Feral and Skids were always at each other, with the former's sister Thorn often loudly trying to separate them. Torpid, at least, was as quiet as ever. Scaleface was with them, too, but she paid the kids no attention, so it was up to Ray, or 'Berzerker', as he'd come to be known, to shut them up whenever they got too loud. It was their first scavenging mission - for Skids and the sisters, anyway - but Ray doubted they'd get anything without being caught._

_It was only in the short moment of quiet that he heard it. Voices, coming up from above. Ray signalled the group to stop, and for once, they did. Without even having to communicate anything, he and Scaleface slunk towards a grate in the tunnel's ceiling and peered through it._

_There were only three boys around his age there, nothing out of the ordinary. Ray was above to lead the group further on when he saw something else; one of the boys had just turned into a fuzzy blue creature with a demon tail. "I told you not to mess vith it!" he accused one of the others, poking him in the chest. He had a German accent._

_The brown-haired guy held up his hands defensively. "Sorry, Kurt," he apologised, "I was just kidding around." The blond boy with them just slapped his forehead, sighing._

_'Kurt' huffed. "Well, now I have to cut school today just so the Professor can fix it! Just try and come up with a good excuse to tell the teachers."_

_"Sure, no problem. I am the master at excuses."_

_Kurt glanced over at the blonde guy. "Sam, make sure Bobby doesn't come up with a really transparent one, please."_

_Then with a flash of light, a BAM1F noise, and a puff of smoke, Kurt vanished. Ray heard Scaleface suck in her breath, startled, at this sudden development._

_Sam and Bobby, on the other hand, weren't disturbed at all by their friend's disappearance._

* * *

_"C'mon, Caliban! Just tell me where they are!" Ray was getting increasingly frustrated with his fellow Morlock. He'd taken Caliban aside after returning and was begging him to find out more about those other mutants._

_The bald mutant only shook his head. "I do not know their mutant codenames, therefore, I cannot find them." He gave Ray a pensive look. "Why are you so insistent on finding them? From what you have reported, they are not in need of our help."_

_"Yeah... well... maybe they can help us! We have enough of a hard time trying to get enough food to survive, and they sure looked like they were getting fed plenty!" Truth be told, that wasn't Ray's true reason. He was sick of hiding underground. He was an outcast among outcasts down there because unlike the others, he could pass as normal. He wanted to be back out in the daylight, with others who understood him... or rather, others that he could understand. The rest of the Morlocks had it worse than he did, and he could tell they resented him for it._

_Ray didn't like being resented._

_"You know what? Fine. I'll find them myself."_

* * *

All that training had been worthwhile, after all, Ray decided. Duane came at him, blade first. Ray grabbed his older brother's wrist and pulled it up towards the ceiling. Rule one of fighting an armed opponent: keep their weapon away from you. Duane struggled to break free, but Ray had spent four years practicing his endurance and working out. Duane had likely spent them getting high and drunk. It was no contest.

Next, Ray lifted his leg and gave Duane a knee in the stomach. Gasping, the latter dropped the knife. With one final push, Ray shoved him back out the door. The whole exchange took less than three seconds.

The rest of the gang was getting to their feet, but none of them looked too eager to rush him again. Ray glared at them. "Beat it."

They took off, Duane remaining just for a minute to glare at Ray before turning tail like the rest of his boys.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, how do you like that? Just the epilogue to go and then we're done! PS: I have no clue what to do for the epilogue, so I'm open for ideas! (Hint hint). So read and review pretty please!


	13. Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, here is the final, very last chapter. I'm really happy with allthe feedback I've gotten from this story, but don't be surprised if this epilogue sucks. I asked for suggestions in the previous chapters and got nada, so bear with me here.
> 
> Anyway, writing this fic has been fun and pull-my-hair-out stressful, and I'm kind of sorry to see it coming to a close, but never fear, I've got a new XME fic coming out around January or February entitled 'Seether'. Check out the bottom of this page for a sneek peek of the first chapter, as my Chirstmas/Hanukkah/Kwanzaa/whateveryoucelebrate/New Year's present for you all!
> 
> DISCLAIMER: For the last time (till January) I don't own XME or any of its characters.

_Saturday, March 16 th, 2002_

_LOCATION: BAYVILLE AIRPORT_

The first plane to land was the one from California. Then Rio, Nova Roma, New Jersey, and New Mexico. Pretty soon, all ten young mutants were waiting at the airport for their ride back to the Institute. "So, what'd you guys do?" Tabby piped up, clearly eager to have a conversation instead of sitting around in silence. "Come on, I wanna hear the funny stories."

"I beat the local bullies without even touching them!" Jamie announced proudly.

"I got covered in horse crap at Sam's place," Amara grumbled.

"Bobby's cousin and I totally kicked his butt in a snowball fight," Jubilee gloated.

"No, you didn't! I was distracted!"

"Still counts."

"No it doesn't!"

"Yes it does!"

"Would you two shut up?" Ray demanded. Both went silent.

Tabby raised her hands. "Okay, okay," she said, "How about we go around one pair at a time, and each can tell what happened at both stops."

Alex snickered. "That sounds like one of those lame 'team building' exercises Jean's always trying to put us through," he whispered to Roberto.

"I heard that!” No reply. "Okay, we can go alphabetically... Amara!" The fire mutant rolled her eyes. "Tell us a little bit more about this little 'horse crap' incident you mentioned earlier."

Amara sighed. "I was just helping Sam's sister Joelle feed them, then my foot got caught in a pile of rope, and when I tried to get untangled, I lost my balance and fell into a wheelbarrow full of manure she'd just shovelled." She glared as the others cracked up. "It's not that funny!"

"Yeah right!" Bobby crowed, "Sam, please tell me you got some pictures."

Sam shrugged. "Sorry, I didn't hear about it until she was already cleaned up. Joelle's version of it was even funnier, though."

Tabby giggled. "All right, Sammy boy, your turn. Anything interesting happen to you at Nova Roma?"

"Well... I _did_ get lost in that big palace."

"Twice," Amara added.

Then it was Alex's turn. "I watched Jamie get chased up and down the beach by my friend Gabby when she realized he was staring at her in her bikini."

Jamie shivered. "She's scary when she's mad. And like I said, I sent the school bullies running without laying a finger on 'em! They just dove at me and I got out of the way, they'd fall over, and eventually they all gave up!"

Bobby gave Jubilee a mock glare. "I was NOT defeated in a snowball fight."

"Yes you were." The others put a stop to that argument before it could continue.

"What about you two lovebirds?" Ray asked, pointing out that Rahne and Roberto hadn't let go of each other since they stepped off their plane.

Rahne shivered. "Well, I really don't want to talk about what happened in Scotland, but Roberto's family was loads of fun. We played soccer, watched some _adorable_ home movies," (Roberto groaned at this) "…and just had a good time."

"Alright, now it's your turn," Roberto told Ray, "How'd things go on your trip?"

Tabby caught Ray's dark expression and butted in. "Well, we spent half the week at my Mom's place, and it was a blast. And as for Ray's place... it's complicated. And anyone who asks about it gets a little surprise in their next meal."

The others wisely moved off that subject, knowing that Tabitha Smith kept to her word with threats like that. Ray silently mouthed a 'thank you' to her when they weren't looking.

Just then, there was the sound of horns honking and tires screeching, and the X-Van careened to a stop in front of them. To their horror, the passenger side window rolled down to reveal Kitty and a slightly shell-shocked Scott inside. "Hey guys," the former greeted them, "Hop in!"

"I think the most memorable part of this trip," Bobby whispered to Jubilee, "is going to be the ride home."

 

THE END

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What do you think, guys? Hate it? Love it? Please review and tell me what you think!
> 
> So anyway, here's the preview for my next XME story. I used to put preview of my next fic of ANY category in the last chapter, but that just doesn't ensure that readers who are interested in the particular show can find it. So here's 'Seether', everybody!
> 
> 'She ordered the coffees and got herself a discount by flirting shamelessly with the guy at the counter. The young man gazed at her through his googly-eyed specs and broke into a sweat, which didn't help his already greasy hair and oily skin. Rebecca smirked as she handed a cup to her disgusted sister before heading out the door.
> 
> She wasn't even halfway out before someone crashed into her. Her cup, filled with the coffee she'd just paid for, fell out of her grasp. "Shit!" she cried, as the precious contents spilled onto the sidewalk. Rebecca rounded on the person responsible. "Why don't you watch where you're..." She trailed off when she realized who it was.
> 
> It was common knowledge that the new transfer students were mutants. Wanda and Pietro Maximoff distanced themselves from the other students whenever they could, and spoke to no one but the teachers and each other. Both were in the eleventh grade with Rebecca and Julia. They alwayshad lunch off-campus, although nobody actually knew where they went. Rebecca had once overheard Pietro saying he'd run to Truro to get their food.
> 
> And it was Pietro that Rebecca was yelling at now. She wasn't all that afraid of him, but his sister was downright scary. Nobody messed with him because they feared her wrath.
> 
> "Uh, never mind." Wanda was only a few steps behind her brother, wearing her ever-present scowl. Rebecca took a few steps back, accidentally blocking the doorway and keeping everyone else from getting out.
> 
> "I told you, we're going to be late," Julia reminded her, not aware of the situation up front, "Do you mind?"
> 
> "Uh... sorry, Jules. Let's go." Julia started to move through, but stopped when she saw the Maximoffs.
> 
> Then the weirdness started. Julia's eyes grew wide with terror, the little colour in her face drained out, and she started trembling violently. Her coffee cup slipped through her fingers too, but she paid it not attention as she edged past them. Pietro glanced behind him with a confused look on his face, but there was nothing even remotely terrifying there. Something wasn't right. Julia had always been wary of the mutant twins, like everyone else, but never like this. She eventually made it a few steps away before turning around and bolting down Spring Garden Road, towards the school. ignoring the dangerous slipperyness of the icy sidewalk.
> 
> "Jules!" Rebecca called. Her twin sister didn't respond at all. She just kept running. "What was that all about?" she mumbled to herself. She hurried off after Julia, being careful not to slip on the ice.
> 
> By the time she reached the school, the final warning bell had rung. Rebecca spotted Julia across the street in the Public Gardens, crouching under a willow tree with her head in her hands. She started to cross the road, but had to wait for a car to pass. Then Julia was gone.'
> 
> Well, here's hoping you like it!


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